The Princess and the Wizard
by Nesma
Summary: Being part of the modern monarchy while the country is collapsing is hardly a walk in the park. Princess Lily Evans has to battle with the suspicious events taking place, hide her sister's love affair with Vernon, all while a suspicious pair of trouble makers join her security team.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Princess and the Wizard  
 **Author:** Nesma  
 **A/N:** This has been sitting on my computer for a while and I thought I would upload it. Huzzah.  
 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing.

* * *

A year ago, I was sitting on a velvet couch with Petunia talking to the rising journalist of the time, about fashion trends and current events. Gossiping about the latest monarchy scandals and batting my eyes at the camera, hoping that the bright lights weren't causing me to sweat my make-up off. The journalist made a remark on how _ordinary_ I was. I blushed and let out a nervous giggle, trying not show the anger and hot shame bubbling in my stomach.

I shouldn't have been surprised. The monarchy has always designed my image as the 'smart' one rather than the 'pretty' one. Petunia, with her classical looks, was easy to morph into the pretty one. It always astonished us how bizarre it was that people could only handle the simple version of ourselves. And if anyone realized that we were complex than the one-dimensional images that were created based on a flip of a coin or our interest at the age of _five._ We were both smart _and_ pretty; but no journalist would ever sell an article if they portrayed _that_.

At that particular moment, with the journalist giving me a knowing smirk, I would have given anything to blurt out a scandalous story of my past. A romantic flame with a stable boy. Perhaps a daring adventure. _Anything_ to prove that I was anything but ordinary.

I always found that life had a crude sense of humour.

* * *

The first thing that anyone should know about me is that I'm a decent liar with a horrendously boring life. Despite being born as a princess, I have done nothing that would make my mark in History. In fact, I am convinced and have shared this thought with my sister Tuney multiple times, that I _will_ be the princess that historians dread to write about in their large history books. They'd make arguments about why I shouldn't be written into History books (did she do anything? No) and perhaps add a conspiracy theory that I am in fact not blood related to the royal family.

Alright, so the blood relation theory _may_ have been inspired by some tabloid magazine article that I caught a glimpse of, but _still._

Now, why would I think I lead such a terribly boring life style? Most likely because I often compare myself to my dear older sister Tuney (otherwise known as Princess Petunia).

While I lay in her bed at 6AM, pretending to be her, she is off gallivanting with her _lover_ doing God knows what. In fact, she has spent a majority of the night with this lad. And they probably did, or doing, something romantic like staring at the stars and sharing their inner most thoughts. Or perhaps they had a moonlit walk. Or maybe he got a horse for them to ride on.

So while my sister is having the love story of the century, I spent my night wrestling with her sheets. I believe that my sister is thoroughly confused about the difference between a bed and a believes that a bed must have at least 20 sheets and covers. Then, there are all these decorative pillows that may or may not hold sentimental value to Tuney. Also, the odd stuffed animals that she collected throughout the years. So getting into this bed is like battling a squid. Then, to sleep in the bed is another battle, one that I have not discovered how. Which is why I'm positively exhausted because I was unable to get any sleep since this bed is _not_ a bed.

Of course, there is the fact that I am currently worrying about how to get to my own bed in the next few minutes. You see, being part of the royal family means having my own security team. A group of men and women who actually work to ensure my safety. Even though I think that it is a gross mismanagement of funds. I mean, really, who would want to kill me? Or even hurt me? Of course people have issues with the monarchy, I mean, that's only normal. And, granted, strange things are happening around the country at the current moment.

For one, there seems to be a lot more murders and deaths. The numbers have steadily been growing but this year it literally has doubled. And some are completely bizarre, like some where the people are found in completely locked homes (I believe one was found in a shut and locked bomb shelter). Then, there is the fact that most of the people that are dying really should be alive. People dying in perfect health conditions. Some doctors have actually tried to get away with listing the deaths as 'frighten to death' on the certificates because there is literally no reason why these people should be dead.

Except, for that they are dead. It's all _really_ bizarre.

To make matters worse, the public health sector has released a statement days ago that the number of people being diagnosed with moderate to severe depression has doubled in the past year or so. Which came shortly after people complaining about damaged forests. Which, occurred around the time a major gas pipe burst and caused the death of nearly 100 people at some convention.

This country is in a bit of a crisis at the moment. In case that is unclear.

And people are, obviously unhappy with the state of the country (who can blame them!?) and are willing to blame anyone, like the royal family (as if we have the power to control the issues in this country anymore). Either way, no one truly believes (except maybe some extremists) that by attacking me, Princess Lily, that the country would just turn around.

But alas, no, Kingsley Shakelbot tends to disagree with my whole, 'it is absolutely bonkers that a terribly boring 17 year old requires her own security team' belief. He usually states the fact that I'm a princess and the royal family is very important to the country and thus I require a security team. He usually fails to comfort me on the fact that I describe myself as boring. Though, I do suppose that it makes it easier for him (and the rest of his team) to monitor my movements.

And I do like Kingsley. He is rather young to be head of a security team, but he came with these credentials (Oxford, Imperial, some odd stint at Harvard) and he was highly recommended and all that. Even though I am displeased with his lack of enthusiasm for my humor. He just tends to eye me after a joke and tells me to 'watch out for myself' as if there is an ax murderer looking for me around every corner.

I also suspect that he's aware that I've been helping Tuney sneak out. Always quizzing me and Petunia about our 'shared' schedule (but really, time Tuney puts aside to see Vernon-her lover). Of course, because Vernon is also, technically, in line for the throne and comes from a well-established family… I don't think anyone is really nervous about the relationship. In fact, the two could actually start dating in the public sphere and people would simply be happy for them. It's not as if she's dating a driver or the stable boy. Regardless, Kingsley takes security very seriously.

Right around now, Kingsley and the others are having this huge meeting regarding security issues. They go over the daily schedule and assign people different time slots. Then, they usually discuss the latest security hack and what's being done to remedy that. By 6:15 or 6:30, they're usually done and standing guard outside the doors making it that much harder to sneak back into our rooms.

Stranded in my own train of thoughts, I nearly missed the entrance of Petunia.

"Oh, you're still here?" The door slammed and I nearly toppled out of bed as my dear older sister made her way across the room, dropping her bag and sweater on the floor. A look of content was on her face and she lets out a sigh as she plopped herself down into one of her armchairs.

Uh, yes, of course, I was still here. What else would I do with my time? Have a life?

"Of course I'm still here!? Where else would I be? And you're late!" I exclaimed as I wrestled with the sheets on my bed. My sister merely gave me a bored glance before examining her nails.

"I'm sorry, it's just." And at this, a small smile spreads across her face and she batted her eyelashes one too many times, "We just lost track of time. We spent the entire night talking, about everything!" She uttered in a dreamy tone.

Ew. I would have much rather she told me that they spent the evening making out or shagging. At least _that_ would be interesting.

"Well, that's just great." I mumbled, kicking the pillows in front of me out of the way so that I could start my 'walk of shame' (haha) back to my room.

Petunia gave out another content sigh as she swung her legs over her armchair, letting her head drop over the arm rest as she stared up the ceiling. "It _was_ great. He's so charming. So lovely. He's just… he's just my _everything._ " She said quietly, and there was a dreamy look on her face with a hint of a smile playing on the edge of her lips; and it was obvious even to me that the nights before were flashing before her very eyes.

Which is all nice and lovely, except _I_ was going to be terribly late to my day. Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I balled my hands into fists as I made my way out the door.

"You owe me!" I shouted over my shoulder, as Petunia waved a hand in my direction. As if I was a fly rather than a sister who spent the entire evening spinning lies for her.

And of course, she's my sister. I love her very much and would only want her happiness. But she's been asking me to lie for her a lot lately. Which, normally I would be fine with (I am a decent liar after all) but lying for Petunia is positively exhausting. We have to memorize our shared schedule, we have to make sure that our appearances line up, we have to make sure that we have at least three back-up plans in case the security team finds out the real deal.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Came the voice of a very peeved Kingsley. Stuck in my own thoughts, I nearly walked right into him.

Well, I never did say I was aware of my surroundings. Just a decent liar.

"Had to talk to Petunia about today," I told him, yawning loudly as I scrunched up my eyes to avoid his gaze.

"And that was?" Kingsley drawled.

"Lessons. Homework. You know how I can be terribly tardy on completing those." I said lazily, waving a hand in the air as if I was shooing an annoying fly. Starting to walk towards my room in hopes of shaking Kingsley off.

"Mhmm. Well, get back and finish your work then." Kingsley said stiffly, stepping aside as to let me through as he followed me back to my room.

I rolled my eyes as Kingsley's footsteps mimicked my own. Was it truly necessary to have the _head_ of security follow me around as if I was this hopeless puppy?

"This is completely unnecessary. I'm sure you have better things to do." in an annoyed tone, because, really.

"This is my job you know. It would seem that you want me fired."

I snorted. "Yes, but me walking a few feet on my own is hardly invitation for someone to murder me-"

"You never know." Kingsley cut me off in a tone that suggested that I back off. Which he only did whenever something terrible happened. Or lately, when another bizarre thing happened with no logical explanation in clear sight.

"What happened today?" I asked, turning my head to fact as Kingsley's gaze averted to the floor.

"Another murder. An entire family this time. No obvious cause of death yet. Though poison is a strong suspect." Kingsley scowled, his gaze focused straight ahead.

"Do you think we'll ever capture the person behind this?" I asked, mulling over my own thoughts as Kingsley stopped dead in his tracks.

"What makes you think it is one person?"

I frowned at this. Trying to choose my words carefully as I wanted to make sure that i said something intelligent rather than the ramble of words that were jumbled in my mind. "Well, I mean, I know it can't be just _one_ person. But it has to be a group of people, right? What are the odds that all these deaths that are occurring are all random? Well, alright, I do suppose that there is a higher deaths that they are done completely random with no relation at all with each other but it is a bit odd that they are all dying the same weird way. Not to mention that they seem to target people who tend to be unknown to neighbors and such… so there must be some pattern and probably done by a similar group of people or something?" I said, blushing a bit as I rambled on my own security theory to Kingsley who stared down at me thoughtfully.

"If you weren't a princess, I would hire you for my own security team." He said softly, leaning over to open my bedroom door, the guards outside standing rigidly as if we weren't there.

I gapped at him. For Kingsley, this was an equivalent of him telling me that I was smart. No, a prodigy in the making. Perhaps even a Nobel Prize Winner.

Well, being a Princess could potentially put me on the short list due to status in life but _still._

"You think I'm right?" I asked, slightly surprised and annoyed that I blurted out my first thought.

"I think you're on the right track." He said, crossing his arms behind his back as I gingerly walked to my own room.

I had seen him more often yelling at the little security minions for their stupidity and lack of awareness and what not. He could be very harsh and scary, so a compliment from him is like finding a hundred pounds on the ground.

"By the way, I've hired two extra security members for your team." He said, nonchalantly as I stopped in my doorway. I turned around to scowl at him, crossing my own arms.

"I can't be such an awful or scandalous member of the royal family to get two extra body guards." I snapped at him as Kingsley laughed. "I mean, the only reason why tabloids write stories about me is to compare me to Petunia and complain about my lack of social skills or 'classic beauty.' Surely that' doesn't mean I get two extra body guards!" I wailed, as Kingsley continued to chuckle to himself.

My misery was clearly a source of joy to him.

"Of course not. Just expanding your team as Smith and Williams are wanting to go back to school. We need to train these two a bit more than usual-"

"Why is that?" I quickly interjected, knowing that if I struck fast, then I could potential catch Kingsley off guard.

Kingsley paused for the briefest of seconds. "These two… well, they have a similar background as me-"

"As in they have made it their personal mission to collect degrees from the best universities that this world has to offer? How many are they at?" I asked sarcascially. I raised my eyebrows as Kingsley merely shook his head, a smile dotting around his face.

"No, nothing like that. I'm still the _smartest_ person on your security team." He said with a wink as I rolled my eyes. Considering the brilliance of Kingsley, he was quite modest. Though, he did choose his times to let it slip that he studied at Oxford or Harvard or Imperial or wherever else it was he studied.

"No, these two… they went to the same high school as I did." He said carefully as I raised my eyebrows at him, my arms dropping to the side. "Do not worry, they are perfectly qualified - I wouldn't hire them if they weren't. It's just… it might be an adjustment for them so they'll need more training than the usual men we hire. They don't necessarily have the military background but they will be useful." Kingsley droned on as I bit my lip.

"Alright, well, I trust you," I said tiredly, turning my back to enter the room before looking over my shoulder at Kingsley, realizing that I had forgotten a critical question.

"What are their names?"

"James Potter and Sirius Black. Now, get back to work, I don't want to hear that you're falling behind on your lessons simply because of me." He said with a small grin on his face as I rolled my eyes. Though, after shutting the door I quickly jumped upon my messy bed and tuckered on inside the covers. I did have a half an hour after all before I had to make it to my first lessons of the day.

* * *

Granted, my lessons are hardly normal. I did take them with Tuney and it was mostly going over current events, proper cultural practices based on countries we will visit, history lessons regarding the country, and other terribly boring topics that one would only need to know if they were part of the royal family or something.

These topics were very dry at times. And though I usually had enough grace to make it through the lesson without wanting to collapse in fatigue, today was entirely different. As our 'teacher' discussed the finer points of interviewing with different journalists, I just battled against my fatigue. I resisted the urge to yawn loudly. And frequently.

Tuney, on the other hand, was bright-eyed. She came to lessons early in a very simple yet elegant outfit. Her hair was neatly brushed and blow-dried. She was eagerly listening to every word our teacher said which seemed so strange to me.

Tuney was an expert on matters like these. She was extremely skilled in charming journalists with a flash of her smile and a well-placed comment here or there. It certainly helped that she did have a classic beauty; blonde hair that could easily be manipulated into any fashionable style at the moment. Her wardrobe was always impeccable (she made it a point to deliberate for hours over the outfits she would wear in the week, as it was her biggest fear to be placed on a worst-dressed list).

While I on the other hand… couldn't care less. Well, I did a bit. It's hard not to when there are weekly (sometimes daily) articles about how your sister is the better princess. I paid as much attention to the Fashion News as I could possible put up with. While my team were obsessed with the classic looks that were reminiscent of various romanticized history; I tended to like the edgier looks that came down the runway for the Avant Garde looks. Needless to say, I was hardly allowed to wear the tulle gown that had what looked like it was cut up five minutes before.

With my wavy dark hair that rebelled against any anti-frizz spray or mousse, it always seemed like I just jumped out of bed. While I spent my time reading books or the newspapers, Petunia kept up with the latest trends. Of course, Tuney still kept up with the daily events but she tended to just read headlines.

Tuney always knew enough to make pleasant talk to the various diplomats and such at social events. She could talk about them more intelligently than most thanks to our lessons which meant that during her free time she was able to read fashion magazines and experiment with her hair. I, on the other hand, could also make pleasant talk to the various diplomats; but I also liked talking to the lonely professor in the back of the event who merely got invited on some sort of connection with someone. I often talked to them about the intricacies of some random history event or something. I was a bit of an odd ball within the Royal Family.

This was a lesson I should be paying attention to. After all, I did have a few interviews coming up a few weeks from now but I was honestly so tired from staying up late. And I stayed up late fretting over my sister and her silly love life rather than worrying about own life.

As I thought angrily over these thoughts, I felt my head droop and my eyes shut. Only for a moment….

 _SMACK._

I jolted awake as I stared wide eyed at my teacher, a Miss Evanstan who glared angrily at me through her small lenses.

"I'm sorry, was I disturbing your nap with my lesson?" She asked in a mocking voice as I gulped. Miss Evanstan could be truly terrifying. When angry, her brown eyes would practically pop out of their sockets, the veins in her neck seem to turn a particular shade of blue, and I'm sure if it was still legal to hit pupils, she would have carried a ruler with the word "LILY" on it just for me.

"I am sorry, I stayed up late working on the assignments." I muttered, feeling my voice go dry as I stared hard at the desk.

"You really should take a leaf from Petunia's book." Miss Evanstan said wearily, walking around from my table and towards her own desk that had the notebooks that had our assignments in. She picked up Petunia's which was in pristine condition and Miss Evanstan flicked through it, a smile on her face. Then, she picked up my own notebook and I winced a bit. Though mine was technically still clean, you could tell it had been thrown around in book bags and taken outside as there were grass stains. And even flickering through my book, my messy handwriting was obvious from back here.

"My, my, my." Miss Evanstan said in an annoyed tone as she roused on the page in front of her, flickering through until she reached the empty pages. A frown on her face as she placed my own notebook down, not as gently as she did with Petunia's I may add.

"You realize that your sister wrote four more pages for this last assignment? While you barely met the bare minimum?" She said testily, her arms crossing as she glared at me. "I mean, I thought you two did your work together!" She snapped as she turned to Petunia who gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Miss, we do, it's just that Lily tends to read a lot and gets distracted. She also tends to procrastinate while I like to get things done early." Petunia said sweetly, her head tilted in such a way that you could only think of her as a sweet little angel. She even turned around and gave me this mocking smile that you would give to some insolent child or something.

I bit my lip as the blood in my veins just seemed to burn. My cheeks flamed up as Miss Evanstan stared at me. And there was hardly anything I could say in my defense. Other than I thought the assignment was completely stupid: proper outfits to wear for certain events and why. I had to write _pages_ dedicated to this topic. Pages. I was hardly an expert on fashion. Which is why I had an entire team dedicated to my fashion sense.

Plus, who cares if I was interested in reading other books? Was it honestly necessary for Petunia to add all those extra details? Like how I waited later rather than sooner to start the assignments? I mean, I could easily count the number of times that Petunia had to borrow my notes the night before to write the history focused assignments. Or the number of times that she begged me to read over my essay. And we do have an agreement to help each other out with different assignments… but that doesn't mean we _tell_ Miss Evanstan about it!

"Well, that explains a lot." Miss Evanstan said coolly, as if Petunia had given the greatest insight in regards to Britain's foreign policy or something. I rolled by eyes as she turned away, because between my utter grouchiness towards my lack of sleep and the stabbing of the back from my sister… I needed a break from the room.

"Miss Evanstan? Do you mind if I fetch a drink of water?" I said quickly, standing up as Miss Evanstan looked down at her watch. "You may. Be back shortly though." She said lazily, as she wondered over to Tuney to discuss God knows what with her.

I turned on my heel and quickly walked out. After I was a few feet away from the room, I broke out in a quick jog and ran into one of the usually abandoned rooms. It was a small room with a bookcase filled with old musty books and small trinkets that various family members have collected from their travels. The curtains were usually drawn and the furniture in there was rather sparse and generally worn down.

Scowling, I marched straight into the room and slammed the door with all my might. A small plastic trinket, one that Petunia had purchased when she was seven or something wobbled before falling down.

"Stupid, bloody cow" I snarled angrily and wondered over to the stupid little toy. I bent down to examine it a bit more closely. It was a small cow that had multiple colored spots, it had the country's name written across its back but over the years the cheap paint had worn off. Without really thinking much about my next actions, I stood back up, lifted my right heel high and brought my foot down on the little toy.

I was expecting the toy to burst into thousands of little pieces. Perhaps the head would remain or something for me to glorify my triumph over Petunia. Instead, because I was wearing dainty ballet flats rather than combat boots, I merely stabbed myself with a stupid plastic cow on my foot. An irritating pain spread across my feet as I stumbled back onto the bookcase and fell flat on my butt.

"Ow!" I howled, throwing off my shoe in a random direction (couldn't be bothered to see where it bounced to) and examined my foot. Clutching it tightly as it started to throb with pain. "Stupid, stupid cow. Stupid Petunia. What a _bloody little prick."_ I stammered, as I started to massage the bottom of my foot, trying to twist it in such a way to see if it was badly bruised or bloody or something.

Of course, it was merely red. "Eugh!" I snarled as I slammed my food down on the ground. Completely frustrated by the day, by Petunia, by the stupid cow that refused to break under pressure of my foot. I huddled my knees closely and reached out above me, grasping for another toy figurine.

This time, it looked like a bear of some sort. Or maybe it was suppose to be a dog or something. Scowling at it, and deciding to hell with it, I started waving the toy around as if it were something alive.

"Hi, my name is Petunia and I'm the most annoying bloody thing on Earth to talk to. Look at me, look at me, I was best dressed according the _Okay!_ magazine!" I said in a very high pitched nasally voice. "I'm so perfect and I have a lover boy that'll do anything even though I look like a cow." I continued on, feeling slightly better and grinning at the small little toy.

I heard a small laugh and my stomach felt as if it were drenched in ice cold water as I dropped the toy. Looking up frantically, my eyes landed on a scrawny man with jet black hair and wired rimmed glasses. His eyes were wide like a deer as he stood frozen on the spot a grin frozen on his face. I quickly scanned his outfit and realized that he was wearing a security outfit similar to the ones on my team.

And a new flood of humiliation and shame just washed over me. What must he think? Was he counting the ways he could sell this story to the tabloids? I could almost see the headlines, "Insane Princess Evans plotting to attack Princess Petunia with toy figurines!" or perhaps, "Princess Evans Injured by Foreign Plastic Toys!"

Alright, so these are possibly the worst headlines in the world but my main occupation was _not_ tabloid life ruiner writer.

"Oh my god." I whispered hoarsely, as I stood up and brushed off the dust that had settled over my outfit as I gapped at him. "I am so sorry. It's just - my sister, she can be a bit much and I just. Well, I'm rather crossed at her, and I know that my behavior wasn't proper at all…I just thought I was alone you see." I rambled on, cursing myself in my head as the man simply stared at him from across the room; not even taking a step back from the insanity that I was as I moved closer toward him.

Blushing furiously as I stared at the man in front of me. The stupid prat had _still_ not said a word despite rambling like a lunatic. Closer up, I could tell that he had long eyelashes that framed his hazel eyes and the same strain of rebellious hair that I had (clearly, there was some heavy amount of product in it to make it remained flat, but alas, the hair looked like he had just ridden a motorcycle or something).

"Well, I should probably leave." I muttered, twisting around trying to find my damn shoe.

"Uh?" The man stuttered as I quickly turned to face him. He was gingerly holding my shoe in his hand, a look of confusion on his face and a slight blush on his own face.

Right. To make this even more mortifying, the fates have decided to bestow this awful situation in my hand. I mean, poor bloke, first day on the job and he has this princess just rambling to herself without a care in the world. Especially since the monarchy has built my image, as well as my sister, as graceful young ladies with our wits and charms to one day take over the throne.

And I just took some paint and messed that image right up.

"Fabulous. Another embarrassing day for me." I muttered as I leaned forward to grab the shoe out of his hand.

"It's-It's fine." He stuttered, as I flopped onto the couch as I tugged on the shoe.

"Right. You're new right?" I asked, standing up and straightening up as he gave me yet another wide eyed look.

"Uh yes, your royal highness." He stammered awkwardly, bowing over the top and almost knocking something off of the side table of the sofa. He caught it swiftly and gave me another deer in the head lights look as his trembling hand placed the object down on the table.

Oh dear lord. This poor lad. Though he was right address me as so, the royal family does do the whole hand shaking. Bowing and curtseying is of course, normal, just unnecessary at times. In this case a handshake would have been fine. I would have not even minded if he called me 'Lily' instead of the title. I am really not picky about these things. I always find it much more awkward to correct people ('Oh, excuse me, it's actually 'your royal highness' and not just 'Lily').

Petunia on the other hand… she's extremely gifted in correcting people. She always makes it so normal that people end up thanking her. The one time I tried correcting someone, I just stammered and rambled.

"It's okay – you can call me Lily." I said, bowing my head to hide my flamboyant blush.

"Alright. Lily." He said stiffly. He sounded each word as if they were difficult to pass through his lips.

"Prongs – what are you doing here?" I turned to face my head in the direction of a voice. It was another man, yet with long hair and dark eyes. Same outfit as Prongs (what kind of name is that?). Though he was in such a haste to make it to us, he stopped dead in his tracks once he spotted me.

"Your royal highness." He said simply, bowing a bit before moving forward again, "I'm Sirius Black, one of the newest member of your security team."

Oh. Right.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Sirius." I said, extending my hand out which Sirius took as the proper invitation to shake firmly.

"And you must be James Potter." I said simply, turning to look at James who blinked rapidly. My hand awkwardly suspended in midair as he just kept blinking.

"I'm assuming that you met Kingsley before he went off collecting degrees around the world?" I asked timidly, withdrawing my hand and turning to face Sirius.

Sirius let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark. "Yes. Yes we did, though I assure you, we are both qualified for this job. Even if James is acting a bit off, I think he may have a concussion." Sirius said in a worried tone as he squinted towards his friend who seemed to be barely part of the conversation.

I let out a nervous laugh, a natural instinct that I truly wish would die out on its own. "Are-are you serious?" I asked, as I peered at James.

Sirius nodded his head, "I'll take him to Kingsley, and make sure nothing isn't seriously wrong. I mean, my mate does have issues, serious ones-" James snorted at this. "so maybe a trip to Kinsley wouldn't be so bad." Sirius continued, ignoring the ignition on James' face.

"Alright, well, I do have to go back to my lessons." I said gloomily, walking the pair out to the door. "I'm assuming we'll see each other again soon?" I said, turning to face the boys in the doorway.

"You will. As we are going to be trailing you during your walk or picnic with your sister." James piped up, a voice a tad deeper than I remembered.

I rolled my eyes since I truly believe that these two could be doing something a bit more meaningful than watch me read my Jane Austen book.

"I'll see you then." And marched out towards the dreaded lesson.

* * *

"I didn't mean to be so odd earlier." I snapped my head and looked up at the figure who was standing at the edge of my picnic blanket. James was there, frowning slightly with his hands in his pocket as he stared down at me.

"It's-it's quite alright." I said calmly, folding the page in my book and shutting to close in my lap. I craned my neck to look up at him, tilting my head at the side to do so.

You see, it is rather unusual for my security team to interact with me. It has to do with the fact that Kingsley has instilled in all of them that by talking to the subject would distract them from their actual duties of protecting me. Despite my best efforts in trying to engage with them… they've all been extremely professional and cold.

Until now.

"I thought I should apologize. Sirius figured I scared you or offended you." He continued, shuffling his feet a bit, his hands were drawn behind his back.

"You can sit, you know." I said, quickly clearing the books to the side and grabbing the bag to place on my side. He stared down, looking over his shoulder, before he crouched down and settled into some sort of sitting position.

"I suppose this is against the rules?" I ventured, picking up on his slightly worried look on his face.

"I think so. I'm still learning the rules for this job. Besides, Kingsley _knew_ he was hiring some troublemakers when he took Sirius and me on." He said, a small grin came across his face. Dimples appeared there too and my heart skipped a beat (I have a weakness with dimples).

"That's shocking. Considering what a goody-two shoes Kingsley is." I murmured, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Oh, he is. He was Head Boy at our school…. He used to write me and Sirius up all the time." James said, though he quickly frowned, "Though, I suppose that's nothing to brag about it; especially you of all people."

"Especially me? What makes you say that?" I asked, snorting a bit.

James fidgeted in his seat. "Well, I mean, you're the _princess._ We have to protect you. Doesn't really instill confidence if two of your security guards broke school rules all the time-"

"Did you ever break laws though?" I asked quickly, my heart skipping a beat. Who cares about the school rules?

James chuckled and gave a wink. "Only the minor ones, like… underage drinking or joy riding motorcycles in the streets of London."

Hardly exciting. I let out a small breath, I guess there was the small chance that he was an axe murdered of some sorts. That would have been exciting if Kingsley had _actually_ hired a criminal rather than his normal, rule abiding hire.

Alas, not even my security team could be exciting.

"That all sounds… fascinating." I said, staring down at the grass along the blankets. My fingers reaching out to rest against the ground.

"Where is Petuina?" James asked, checking over his shoulder.

"Went off to grab some snacks and more books." I said, lying automatically as James narrowed his gaze on me.

"You have a bag full of snacks and enough books with you for a small library. And you just happened to forget the few items that she actually wants?"

"Yes. I have a terrible memory you see, can hardly remember what is the magazine or book my sister is currently interested in." I said, in a slightly aggressive way.

"You don't seem to have a terrible memory-" James started before I could cut him off.

"Well I guess you don't know me that well." I snapped, angrily glaring at him while he put up his hands in mock resignation. Breathing slightly heavily, I focused again on the green patch in front of me.

"I think that should change, don't you?" James asked after a few seconds of silence.

I rolled my eyes as stretched my legs in front of me. "Well, everything you would want to know about me is in the tabloids or magazine spreads or something. They're small pieces, I'm not exactly the most popular princess." I ended bitterly, wondering why on _Earth_ I cared about being the exciting princess or not. Especially in front of James.

"Don't get into enough trouble?" He asked, in a teasing way. Slightly bumping into me when he said it, and I felt my lips curl into a smile.

"Something like that." I muttered.

"Still, I'd like to know something about you that doesn't involve your fashion sense or your bursts of anger with toys." He said, chuckling a bit as I groaned.

"Oh God, I'm still mortified that you heard that." My face was heating up which was never good. I already have red hair, no need to add a blotchy face to that mix.

"Don't be, we all have our moments like that." He said in an irritatingly knowing way. As if he held the world's secrets. Psh.

"Oh yeah? What about you? Ever done something like that only to be walked in on?" I asked, twirling a strand of my hair.

James stretched out his legs. "Well, Sirius did once walk in on me when I was punching a locker after a particular rough match. And instead of being the caring friend that would walk out or try to calm me down, he just _laughed_ at my face. Which only pissed me off more so then I really started to hit the lockers and I managed to break my hand. So then, Sirius is laughing, I'm in pain, he has to help me to get to the hospital wing and the bloke cannot stop laughing. He's in hysterics and nearly crying, and it only got worse when I had to tell the story to the nurse…"

"That would be embarrassing," I said, laughing a bit as James had a slight pink crawl across his cheeks. It was rather nice to see him blush. Not as nice as his dimples… but then again, what person could resist dimples?

"Anyways, now we know each other's embarrassing moments. I say that counts for knowing each other a little bit?" James said, grinning at me as I bit my lip.

"The thing is, is that I actually know two of your most embarrassing moments." I said with a sort of arrogance that I only reserved for special moments. Well, only for when I was proving Petunia wrong which was nearly a weekly occurrence.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" James bantered.

"Well, you were not exactly the smoothest person I've ever met mister 'deer in the headlights look.'" I bantered back, James looked shocked for a moment before laughing.

"My, my, seems like you do have a collection worthy of blackmail which is why I will be making you this deal." He said, standing up and brushing the leaves off his pants, "You promise not to leak to the tabloids about my stories-"

"Who would pay to read those?"

"Sirius is my number one fan, he would absolutely buy every magazine with my gorgeous face on them." James said, throwing her a wink and grinning to himself. I tried hard not to pull him back down so that I could see his dimples properly. "Anyways, you don't share my secrets and I won't leak to them about your little anger burst."

I snorted. As far as tabloid stories go, the Princess going mad is hardly a good selling point. Unless I shaved my head or went streaking. Unfortunately for those soul sucking magazines, I look horrible bald and even the idea of streaking makes me shiver with the cold air. "Honestly, that story won't sell, it would need to be more scandalous."

"Oh, Princess Lily caught having some stolen _romantic_ moments with a special someone?" He said quickly and my jaw dropped as I let out this splutter of laughter.

It is very unusual for people to talk crudely to me. As if I am this image of purity and have no sexual desires whatsoever (that is extremely false). So, most people treat me as this sweet innocent thing that needs to be protected. To be honest, it was refreshing for someone to completely disregard that image.

"Don't look too surprised Lily, I did say I was a trouble maker after all," James said over his shoulder as he started to saunter away. And I could only grin to myself.

James Potter, whoever he is, _clearly_ didn't grow up with the whole royal frenzy. I mean, people lined up outside for my birth. My mother collected _mugs_ with my crying face on them. There are postcards and flags and even dolls that look like me (those are the creepiest). There is a certain tone of respect and convention that nearly every person abides by when it comes to royalty.

Except for James Potter. It seems like he was immune to all of it. Probably lived under a rock or something. Regardless, people are always shocked when I'm treated as a fellow civilian. Kingsley _always_ has the best reactions whenever he discovers that I found out about what the security team did last Saturday night and what not. And while James Potter may be arrogant enough to think he was above all of this… well, he somehow forgot about how walkie-talkie's, especially the ones that the security team uses, tends to go both ways.

I guess I was hardly the goody two shoes if I neglected to tell him that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Princess and the Wizard  
 **Author:** Nesma  
 **A/N:** Still writing.  
 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing.

* * *

"So, how was our walking date?" Petunia asked as she walked into my bedroom. Immediately kicking off her black ballet flats, dropping her tan leather bag on the floor along with her black jacket, before throwing herself on my bed.

"It was good. We read you spent a lot of time getting the books and food items that you forgot to bring." I said, putting my book down and uncurling myself in the arm chair nearest my bed. "I also got to know one of the newest security members of my team," I said, wiggling my eyebrows a bit at Petunia.

"Oh yeah? Which one? The one with the long black hair? He's quite fit." Petunia said, perking up in my bed. She rested her head on her hands as she stared at me with excitement.

I snorted. "No, that's Sirius by the way. I got to know James, the one with the messy black hair-"

"Oh. That one?" Petunia asked, her face immediately scrunching up into a look of disgust. Which, I took offence too. So, Petunia and I did not share the same views as far as attractive men but James was certainly attractive.

I mean, first, he looked like he was in shape. Though he was wearing a jacket, it did seem that he had toned arms and his shirt did fit him quite nicely. Then, there is jet black hair and hazel eyes. Nothing makes me swoon as much as the combination of dark haired men with light eyes. Always a combination that I am fascinated with (and I tend to go after those guys considering my dating history). Then, there is the small detail that James has dimples. Cute little dimples that would make any girl want to grab his face and litter it with small little kisses. Because dimples are dimples.

Of course, would I even dare share all of these thoughts with Petunia? Of course not. The girl is _actually_ attracted to someone who looks like he is a human bull of some sort (very large, though Petunia claims he's strong). He has basically no neck (which I guess means opposites attract since Petunia has double the neck). And, he has blonde hair and brown eyes – actually, this part isn't terrible. But he's always so serious and plain and no jokes whatsoever.

"I think James looks nice. To each their own after all." I said calmly. Which, I thought was a much more diplomatic line rather than saying, 'I think James is much fitter than Vernon so there.'

"Whatever. Is he like Kingsley with a million and one degrees?" Petunia asked, rolling onto her back and staring up at my canopy.

"Actually… I'm not sure. I know James went to school with Kingsley at some point but it is unclear when that happened." I said, twisting my strand of hair as I tried hard to remember if James said anything about his past.

"Mysterious background. That's probably why you think he's fit." Petunia said suggestively.

"I don't think he's fit, well, not like that at least," I mumbled, standing up and walking towards my desk. I started to shuffle some papers around, even though no organisation was really needed as a slight blush started to creep on my face.

"Oh come on, _please_ tell me that you've moved on from Robert," Petunia said movements could be heard in her direction as I turned around to face her. "He was honestly such a _bore_ and a _jerk._ " Petunia said, crossing her arms.

I rolled my eyes at her. "I know. I dated the bloke, remember? Believe me, there is nothing that makes me want to date him." I said with a sense of finality as I shoved some random pieces of paper into a drawer.

And I was telling the truth. After all, I had no interest in really seeing Robert. Though, that was impossible since he did go to a majority of the social events that my family does. You see, Robert is a fine guy. He's attractive, at least to me, and I can have a good time with him. We like to talk about History a lot. But, he has this streak of arrogance that makes him so unappealing. And this nasty quality in which he could only talk about himself. Which meant the relationship ended rather swiftly (four months). Which was a record for my shortest relationship, while my longest was for a year or so.

"Good. Just making sure." Petunia said as she stood up from my bed. "I suppose I better make an appearance in front of my own security team. Let them know I am alive and all." She said, sweeping her hair over her shoulder as she collected her items.

"I'll walk with you. I need to pick some things up in your room anyways." I said, standing up and walking with Petunia on her side as we left my room. Though, nearly immediately after ten seconds that we left the room, James was at my side.

"Do you mind if I talk to you miss? For a moment?" James said, fretting a bit as my sister gave him a once over glance. Giving Petunia a small smile, and a pat on her shoulder, she waltzed off.

"Of course, what would you like to talk about?" I asked, putting my hands behind my back as James' hand went through his hair.

"I wanted to apologise for my behaviour earlier, it was quite impolite and disgusting how I talked you-" James said quickly, his breaths coming in short.

"Ah, so you realised your walkie talkie transmitted sound both ways?" I said innocently, smiling at him as his hand dropped from his hair and his jaw went slacked. Chuckling to myself, I put out my hand.

"Can I see your walkie?" I said, and James gave me a suspicious look as he started to fumble with the electronic on his belt. I don't blame the guy, I did after all, perhaps, land him in some serious trouble with Kingsley.

After thrusting the small black box in my hand, I peered at the side and flipped a switch before handing it back to him.

"There. Now you can hear what's going on from their end, but they won't be able to hear us so you can speak candidly." I said and James took the device from my hand and peered at his closely. "How do I know I can trust you?" He asked, putting the device back into his belt holder.

"Well, the fact that I did just show you a nifty trick on your device should soothe you soul." I said sweetly, tilting my head as James' eyebrows raised.

"Yes, but you nearly got me _fired-_ " He said, cooly. I rolled my eyes at such an atrociously false comment.

"No. I didn't." I said quietly, fixing my eyes on him. He took a step back as if he was aware of what I was going to say next. " _You_ nearly got _yourself_ fired." Jabbing my finger at his chest as he stared down at it dumbly. "It is hardly _my_ fault that you were so bold, so arrogant as to think that you could talk to me like that _without_ turning off your walkie." I said roughly because I had an entire country blaming me (well, my family) for the poor state of affairs in this country.

Adding James Potter to the mix? No, thank you.

"Besides," I said quickly, flipping my hair to the side as I crossed my arms, "I hardly doubt that Kingsley would ever fire you-"

"We are talking about the same Kingsley, right? Big man, huge muscles? Looks like he eats ten of me for a snack?" James asked in a panic way, exaggerating his body measurements as I laughed as his impressions.

"Yes, yes we are. But I still stand by what I said, he won't fire you in a million years." I said simply.

"What makes you so sure?" James asked hotly, crossing his arms over his chest as I leant back on the wall behind me with his eyes squinting down on me.

"Well, for starters, you don't have the exact military or educational requirements that Kingsley desires in his security team. Nor do you seem to have the personality type that Kingsley wants in his security team." I stated as James face's eyes went wide, as his arms went slightly slack as if I had punched him in the stomach.

I was never one to shield from the truth.

"But," I lowered my voice a bit for this, causing James to lean in a bit, "But-you clearly possess something that impresses Kingsley. And that's not a small feat." I said kindly, grinning at him as a hard-line set in on his face.

"Really? Because I pissed him off _twice_ today. Once for when you stumbled on me and I acted like a complete fool and the second because I talked to you in an improper way." James gave a sigh as he shifted his weight, his hand going to his hair again. "I feel _completely_ out of my element here and I'm starting to realise that the learning curve is quite steep. And I probably shouldn't be saying _any_ of these things to you. I mean, I know how to protect you and I have gone through the training necessary for this job… it's just the politics I'm struggling." James said, running a hand through his hair again as he took a few steps away from me.

I frowned a bit at this. It's not that anything he said worried me, after all, I did completely trust Kingsley choices. It's just… how often does someone grow up in England without knowing any real knowledge of the royal family? With the number of products out there with my face and the news coverage of our every movement… there have only been a few people who I've met who were completely oblivious to my status. But they recognised my name. And James? It seemed like he had no idea the power of the Evans name.

"You're doing fine. Besides, I thought it was part of training to learn the history of our family and politics?" I ventured, and James froze for a second-his hand back in his hair and his glasses almost tittering off of his nose.

"Yes. Usually, that is part of training, but Kingsley was _very_ eager to have us join the team. Something about us having dashing good looks if I recall correctly." James said, his shoulders relaxing as he gave me a red carpet smile.

And usually, because of the dimples, I would have been swayed with such a smile and laugh, maybe even placing a well-thought hand on his shoulder. However, that is not at all what I did. I went back to leaning against the wall and stared down at the floor thoughtfully. After all, why was their training compromised? What was so important to have them join the team that Kingsley threw the training manual out the window?

After a few seconds, I brought my gaze up and gave James a wide smile, the photo-ready smile. And with the smile _finally_ reaching his eyes, it was clear that he bought my confidence. "Huh, interesting theory. But I do suspect that he hired you because of your skill, you're not _that_ pretty." I said, giving him my own wink as he chuckled along.

"Right. Well, I do apologise for any inconvenience… I'll behave better in the future."

"There's no need to though." I said and James stopped in his tracks as he gave me another wide-eyed look, his jaw slightly slacked. "I mean, uh, well, not as it may imply… but I shockingly like talking to you. I wouldn't mind a few rounds of conversations with you." I said bluntly, my cheeks heating up and praying to God that it was the cute pink cheeks versus the flaming fire that splashed across my face.

James gave me a smile, one with dimples. "Consider it done." He said, giving me a small wink as he sauntered off, his hands went to the walkie talkie and a switch was turned on. My heart thumped a bit more than usual, but then again, perhaps that wasn't so strange.

* * *

"Right, what do we have for the next few weeks?" I asked, as I finally plummeted to bed that night. My lazy pyjamas were on, too big and worn far too often, while Petunia sat like an angelic faerie at the end of my bed.

She raised her eyebrows, "Do you mean as far as social events this coming month? Or as far as dates with Vernon?" She asked, pulling a strand behind her ear.

"Both." I said, lying back on my pillows as a small, secretive smile spread across her face. Which would mean that we would be discussing her calendar with Vernon first.

"Well, for the next two days, there is nothing so we can actually work out together. But then, on Thursday, we're hoping to get another walk in so we'll be 'reading' outside again-"

"Lovely." I murmured, as I fiddled with the bed spread in front of me, trying not to fall asleep at the utter boredom of my sister's love life. Petunia simply ignored my moody tone as she continued to ramble on about her calendar.

"Then, this week is a mad house at all the events we have to be at, where the only thing we need to do is just be there. Oh, and we have an interview coming up in a few weeks-"

"Oh, gosh, I'm so good at those." I said, giving a sigh as Petunia gave me a hard look, "We'll practice this time. Extra hard, I promise."

"Okay, then what?" I asked, as Petunia put a hand to her chin as a look of concentration washed over her.

"Oh – we do have a meeting the Malfoy family." She said and I gave her a look of confusion. Because, first, what kind of name is _Malfoy_? There are, admittedly, a lot of odd names in this country. Though, I had never heard of a Malfoy. And if they were meeting us, that must mean that they were extremely well connected. And I had no memory of ever meeting a family named the Malfoy.

"I know. I didn't know them either, and I couldn't find out too much about them when I tried to research them. They must be relatively new on the social scene. Kinda surprised that they were able to get a meeting with us though so soon." Petunia said as she shrugged her shoulders as I scrunched up my face.

"When are we meeting with them?" I asked, putting my own hair up in a pony tail.

"At the start of next month, so four weeks or so." Petunia said as she leant back on the bed post.

"Odd. Alright, do we need to prepare anything?"

"I think it's just a formality? Like, congratulations for unlocking level royalty in the social networking of England, please collect your prize of meeting the princesses." Petunia said in a sarcastic tone and I threw my head back to laugh.

"Well, I do say we are an amazing prize." I said between my laugh as Petunia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, we'll see how it goes. Oh, what did that James bloke want with you?" Petunia asked, her head snapping up to monitor my gaze.

I bit my lip as I twirled a strand of my hair. "Oh, he just wanted to apologise… again for his behaviour today. He may have crossed a line. I can't tell yet." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Did he? What did he say?" Petunia asked, pressing in and I could hardly find the need to tell her the odd conversations of the day.

"Nothing terrible. Only Kingsley would find them scandalous for my pure ears-"

Petunia snorted and I grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked at her head. Luckily for her, since pillows as weapons can be quite deadly, it missed her by a mile. "Oy. That's not a very nice thing to insinuate about the youngest princess."

"I know, but can you imagine how they would react if they knew our lives? Our dating lives especially?" She asked, trying to resist to grin as I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"I'm sure they know some of it…. Hopefully not all of it." I said, as I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest. Petunia shrugged as she hopped off the bed.

"Hopefully Kingsley won't be too harsh on him, looked like he was a kicked puppy or something." She said, over her shoulder as she opened the door and slipped out.

For James' sake, I truly hoped his punishment wasn't severe.

* * *

But I had no time to discover how James was reacting to his new role or punishment.

"What is going on?" Petunia whispered frantically in my ear as our car arrived at the hospital that we had to make a visit at.

I looked out at the window. As usual, there were large crowds pushing back against the officials that had been station there. There was lots of yelling, some had signs painted in multiple colours that splashed how much they loved us. There were grinning faces, sobbing faces, and shocked faces. These were the faces I was used to at an event like this.

But a number of the people looked _angry._ Furious even as they brandished their hateful signs, faces turning a deep red, and I could hear their voices so clearly that I know that they'd be whispering hoarse in a few hours. Eyes were bulging out as I skimmed the signs - mostly declaring justice for the Prewett.

"Angry. Clearly, over the Prewett murder." I muttered, smoothing down my skirt, my hands trembling slightly as I took a quick glance out the window.

"Who?" Petunia asked, her head swivelling around her neck as she tried to read the signs as I heaved a sigh.

"The Prewett. One out of the latest families that have been murdered behind homes that appeared to be locked. It is as if they murdered themselves but… nothing really points to that. The case… it's gruesome." I said, feeling my stomach twist and turn as Petunia gazed thoughtfully out the window, her lips parted slightly as her eyes scanned the crowds.

In honesty, the Prewett murders were one that shook me to my bones. It was a case in which when the police had arrive, everyone was dead. Everyone had a look of absolute horror and _pain_ on their faces. Their bodes had suffered massive internal organ failure before their heart gave out. To put the body under _that_ much stress… it is cruel, to say the least. And if there is someone or something out large, people have the full right to demand that someone steps in to over see it all.

And thus, when got out of the car, we were nearly mobbed by those fighting for the Prewett's right to life.

* * *

The next few days was complete insanity. It was one of those weeks when it was difficult to tell when the day started and when it ended. I had to spend every night with my sister picking out appropriate outfits for the next day. Researching what the tabloids had written about us. Seeing if there were any unflattering photos of us or if there was another essay about our fashion sense.

I was constantly being shoved out in front of cheering crowds, crumbling buildings, newly built buildings, and strictly quiet political settings. It was all completely tiring, that by the middle of the following week, I was looking forward to the solitary walk that I would have with my books as Petunia slipped out to Vernon.

Despite eagerly setting out the blanket and pulling out my books and such, did I notice that Sirius Black was standing nearby at a tree. A nagging worry was tugging within, and I resisted the urge to throw my cares away with an open of a book. Standing up and wiping the debris off of my dress, I wondered over to Sirius who made it a mission not to look at me per say.

"Kingsley didn't give him too much hell?" I asked, crossing my arms as I shifted my weight around as Sirius coughed.

"I don't care if Kingsley or the others can hear this conversation. If you're worried, you can shut it off. I know your mate must have shown you how to turn it off." I said stiffly, as Sirius gave a huge sigh and tugged at the device and flipping the switch.

"Happy?" He asked as he tucked it back into his belt. I staggered a bit as I wasn't used to facing annoyed security guards as he clearly was.

"You didn't answer my question-"

"No, he didn't get into too much trouble. Just extra studying time, how to treat princesses and such." Sirius said sternly, refusing to meet my eyes.

Oh, wonderful. Those manuals are so poorly written (they are updated so often that it's very confusing of how to keep up on them). Also, all the images in there of Petunia and I are very obviously retouched. Like, glaringly retouched and laughable. Then, the cartoons in there are _priceless._ This isn't too bad of a punishment, James is probably laughing is head off.

"Oh, that's not too bad. Those manuals are dry but hopefully Kingsley will let up on you two."

"Excuse me, but I actually knew how to respond to you when I first met you. I also didn't turn into some blubbering goon-" Sirius rambled as I laughed, cutting him off.

"Oh, stop being so harsh on him, he was nervous." I said, dropping my arms to the side as Sirius eyed me.

"I know he was, he's just a little out of his element. Not used to the whole royalty thing. Lived under this pitiful rock with hermits as parents." Sirius said with wagging eyebrows, causing me to laugh again.

"I mean, I think he'll do fine. Just as long as he stays out of Kingsley's way." I said, before frowning, "Well, actually, if both of you will. Didn't you both get in trouble at school a lot? And probably from Kingsley thanks to his Head Boy duties?" And Sirius smirked as he tossed his long hair back.

"Well, James always relied on my wits and charms to get us out of trouble. They tended to work 100% better on the Head Girl rather than on Kingsley…" Sirius trailed off with a wink and I giggled to myself.

"I can't even _imagine_ someone trying to flirt their way out of trouble with Kingsley." I said, grinning at the thought. The man was always so serious, always so strict, and I doubt that the man ever broke a rule in his life.

"Oh, many tried and many failed." Sirius said wistfully, staring off into the sky as I laughed.

"I have to say, glad that you two still have your job. Though, I'm sure you'd have more fun doing something else. I lead… well, apart from the crazy mobs that want to attack and kiss me, a quiet life." I said, and Sirius grinned.

"The crowds were a little out of control. Especially at the event early this week." He said, his face darkening a bit as I heaved a sigh.

"Well, what could we expect? There was a protest not too far from us about the recent murders. Especially with the Fabian and Gideon Prewett being murdered-"

"You heard about that?" Sirius asked incredulously, his face that was smiles moments ago harden, looking more menacing than welcoming.

I sniffed angrily as I rolled my eyes. It appeared that the only appropriate response to the Prewett murder was to be blissfully unaware as my older sister. Batting my eyes and expressing my _deepest sympathies_ as furious citizens yell for investigation and then casually forgetting the brutality hours later.

Lord forbid that I would know what's actually affecting the country.

"Of course I did. It was all over the news-" I snapped, crossing my arms as I stared at Sirius' bewildered and darkened face; his eyebrows drawn down as his eyes focused solely on mine.

"Your news-" He muttered, glancing slightly to the left before, for the briefest of seconds, flashing an angry look with his lips snarled back, before resuming his brooding look.

"What do you mean my news?" I asked quietly as Sirius' eyes shifted a bit as he shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Sorry, I… I know that not all of the murders were getting the lime light of being written about. I guess I was surprised that you bothered to learn names. I… I'm sorry." Sirius stammered as I gave him an odd glance as he stared directly at the ground, heaving slightly.

"Yeah, well, it's horrible. Twins too, right?" I asked as Sirius stared off into the distance and nodded. His hands were clasped in the front and his shoulders were tense.

"Right, well, not exactly shocking then that the public is angry." I said, trying to shift the topic of the conversation onto something else.

"Yeah, but it's obviously not your fault. Those people are morons." Sirius said bitterly kicking at the ground a bit.

"I suppose. Oh well, have any fun plans tonight after you're done here?" I asked, crossing my arms again as Sirius took a deep breath.

"I have a meeting tonight with James and Kingsley, some security stuff. Maybe go to a pub and grab a drink or two. It's been a long week to be fair." Sirius said, heaving a sigh.

"Drink extra for me, will ya?" I asked, and Sirius grinned.

"Now, that's something that I would never deny." He said and I laughed a bit.

"Say hi to James from me?" I asked, and Sirius gave a small grin. "Of course." He said as I walked back to my blankets and book. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading, focusing on the words and not on the bloodshed taking place in the world.

* * *

Three days later, on another walking date with Petunia, James was the assigned security guard. I gave him a small wave as I set up the blanket and books. Though, it was only a matter of time before I heard the crunching of leaves as James stood at the edge of the blanket.

"I thought I'd tell you hi back." He said, and I looked up at him, shielding my eyes as I stared up at him.

"Excuse me?" I asked as James crouched down.

"Well, you told Sirius to tell me that you said hi. So, I'm saying it back. Hello." He said, grinning as I laughed at his awkward antics. James took this as an invitation to fully sit on my blanket and something in my heart swelled when he did.

"Did you turn it off?" I asked, pointing to the walkie talkie as James nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I did. I am learning rather quickly." James said as I bit my lip.

"How did your meeting go from a few nights ago?" I asked, and snuck a glance at James who wore an expression of shock on his face.

"How did you know about that?"

"Magic. Duh." I said, laughing at my own hilarious joke; though I was the only one since James merely chuckled along before giving me an expectant look.

"Right, well, Sirius told me. It's not top secret now, is it? It's just between you two and Kingsley." I said and James heaved a sigh.

"Something like that. We had others come in, helping with training and such." James said gruffly as he started to pull a bit at the grass.

"Were you two able to go out afterwards? Grab a drink or something? It has been a few hectic days on the job I assume." I said and James laughed a bit.

"Yeah, we did. We couldn't stay very long, though, Sirius did make an utter fool of himself in front of the bartender." James said, grinning at the memory.

I smiled a bit as I leant back on my hands. "Oh yeah? What happened?" I asked as James messed up his hair, a grin forming on his face with my favourite dimples.

"Well, we already had a bit to drink but right before we left, he went straight up to the bartender and told him, 'I need to have an extra drink – it's for Princess Lily. I need to drink extra for her.'" And I started to roar with laughter. After all, how many people drink because of me?

"That sounds great." I said after I gained control of my happiness as James smiled at me.

"It was, the bartender thought he was full of shit of course. I mean, part of our job is never disclosing that we're in fact part of your security team. As I'm sure you know." And nodded, thinking that this was a little extreme but Kingsley, as usually, disagreed.

"Sounds nice." I said, grabbing a book and gripping it closely to my lap as James eyed it.

"Still Jane Austen?" He asked and I nodded, and a proud look spread on James' face.

"You know, I looked it up after you were reading it. She seems to have written a lot of books." He said as if that was supposed to impress me.

I mean, it's _Jane Austen._ Of course, she's written lots of books! I mean, dear lord, where did this boy go to school if he thought that Jane Austen was this obscure author?

"Uh, yes, I take it you've never read any of her books? Have you seen the films?"

James blinked rapidly, "Uh, there are films? Of her books?" And burst out laughing, placing a hand on his shoulder as I continued to laugh hysterically.

"I'm guessing your parents never really let you watch television or go to the cinemas?" I asked, taking my hand back and wiping my eyes as James eyed the place my hand was previously.

"Well, yeah, of course. I mean, I know what films and cinemas are. Please." James said, scoffing and pretending to look deeply offended as I rolled my eyes.

"I know you do. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you would be functioning in this world here. But yes, Jane Austen is rather famous. Many films have been made based on her stories. I quite like _Emma_ and _Pride and Prejudice_ but that's just me." I said, rambling a bit as James eyed me from the corner of his eyes.

"Perhaps I'll pick up a copy of the books. Or maybe just watch the movie and dazzle you with my knowledge." He said, swiping a hand through his hair as I scoffed and laughed at him. Unsure of how to really respond.

With the other blokes… well, neither of them picked up a Jane Austen novel unless it was required for their literature lessons. And all of them would pick it apart and _constantly_ remind me that she essentially wrote 'chick novels' for her generation and why would we even bother to give her the time of day? This was usually when I would close my eyes, count to ten and try very hard _not_ to shout at them until my throat went hoarse.

But James didn't seem to mind of what Jane Austen wrote. To be fair, it sounded as if he had no idea who Jane Austen was which… well, I had never met someone who didn't have the faintest idea of her.

"Perhaps. We'll see, though." Giving him a small grin before opening my book, James took the hint and stood up. Wiping debris off his pants before taking station further away from me.

I found it rather hard to concentrate on the Bennet sisters that afternoon.

* * *

The next two afternoons, Petunia and I went to the gym for our workouts (considering we had an interview coming up, we thought it would be best to look slightly toned so that when we get the dreaded body question we could at least answer it somewhat truthfully). However, after two gym sessions, we decided a break was in order and Petunia went to visit her boyfriend and I spent my afternoon with my books.

Of course, James was on duty this afternoon. As soon as I settled onto my blankets, I found that his shadow was overcasting me as he stood on the edge; waiting for me to invite him to sit down.

"So, I'm part way through _Pride and Prejudice._ " He stated, crouching down and settling on the edge of the blanket after I gestured for him to sit.

He did _what?_

"You… you're in the mist of reading _Pride and Prejudice?_ " I asked in a disbelieving way as James chuckled.

"Don't sound _too_ surprised. You're hurting my feelings over here." He said, giving me his puppy eyes. I bit my lip as I averted my gaze.

"I'm sorry, you just don't seem the type to read _Pride and Prejudice._ " I said, blushing a bit.

"No, you're right. I normally wouldn't read _Pride and Prejudice_ but Jane Austen is one of our greatest national treasure. And, I really should start reading the classics more, and what better way to start than with _Pride and Prejudice?"_ He asked, leaning back on his hands as he stared up at the sky.

"What part are you at?"

"I'm a slow reader and the language took a little getting used to for me… but I'm at the part where they're at the ball." He said sheepishly.

"That's not bad at all considering you just started reading it."

"I know, but I'm hardly as fast as you are." He said, gesturing to my stack of books. I blushed and laughed a bit.

"It's different, I'm rereading some books. And I can never decide what to read-"

"Just like your sister, who, I've noticed has never joined you on these walks despite what her schedule states." James said, giving me this irritatingly knowing look: a smirk on his face, eyebrows raised, and his eyes full of mirth as I scrambled in my own head for a clever lie.

"Well, you see, Petunia can be sensitive to the chemicals they use for the grass-"

"You have a blanket-"

"Yes, but, she needs to have her medicine just in case. And sometimes, she'll take the medicine inside, making her drowsy? Right, and so she'll fall asleep right then and there." I said, feeling my face heat up as James locked eyes me, squinting a bit as if he was trying to see if I was lying. And then, his face relaxed and he shrugged as his hand went over to the walkie talkie. And pulled it out of his belt loop.

Oh no.

I could feel myself panicking as James gave me a grin before pressing a button and bringing the device close to his lips. "Princess Petunia is in her room, copy that, please send a confirmation once you've laid a visual-"

"She's not in her room!" I blurted, reaching over and trying to tug at his hands to release the walkie talkie (and only for the walkie talkie, it's not as if I wanted to feel the callouses on his fingers or anything). Yet, he tightened his grip as my fingers were nestled within his.

"Oh, she's not?" James asked innocently. "Where is she then?"

I bit my lip as I eyed our hands. They did look nice together. "Sometimes, she takes her medications in the hall way so she literally falls asleep on her feet. In the middle of a hallway." I said quickly, and realising that it was the dumbest lie that could have ever flown out of my mouth.

"Alright then, I'll just send some people over-"

"Why don't I help? I can search the hallways for her and then just alert the nearest guard when I find her-" I said quickly, standing up as James buried his face into his hands.

"Merlin-I mean, oh my god Lily, are you _that_ stubborn?" He asked, laughing a bit into his hands as I stared down at him.

"What do you-"

"We all know that she's snogging Vernon Dursley senseless right about now. In fact, we can give you coordinates." James said, lifting his head out of his hands as my jaw dropped to hit the floor.

"For how long?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips as James started to chuckle.

"Since the start of their romance. Do you really think that there is anything in here that happens without Kingsley's knowledge?"

"Obviously I did if I told you my sister falls asleep in the middle of the hallway." I sputtered, as I buried my own face in my hands as I started to blush a wonderful crimson colour.

"It's quite amazing the lies you told. I can't believe you slept in her bed that one time-"

"You were hired after that!" I spluttered out, taking my face out of my hands as James gave me a guilty look.

"Sorry love, the other blokes were talking about it. Couldn't help but overhear."

"Ugh. Well, that's great." I muttered, plopping myself down and rolling onto my stomach as I hid my face in my arms. James laughed and put a hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine. It's funny and it shows that you're loyal and dedicated to her. That's never a bad thing." He said in a soothing tone.

"True." I said, lifting my head up. "I guess it's fair that you 'officially' know considering that she's going to go public with her boyfriend in tomorrow's interview." I said, shifting around so that I was sitting up and looking across to James. He shrugged.

"That's great? I'm sure it'll make some tabloid headlines, but it's not as if he's a bad choice or anything."

"No, he seems nice. I'm sure the media will go crazy now that Tuney has a boyfriend." I said, sighing a bit as I fiddled at the grass.

"Is that a bad thing?" James asked, tilting his head to the side. I shrugged.

Though we've both had boyfriends, and tabloids have picked up on it… we've never done the whole publicly announcing it to the world fiasco. For royalty, that is a big move and signal that marriage may not be too far away. While the relationship is young for Tuney and Vernon… they already seem serious. And if she's announcing the relationship to the world… well that means that she thinks Vernon is the _one_. And it won't be long until she's announcing the engagement and leaving me behind.

Not that I was worried about our relationship but things do change once one person in the dynamic duo gets into a serious relationship. And I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the whole situation.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. "I don't mind the guy, it's just… things will change and I'm not sure how I feel about it, you know?" I said and James nodded.

"I went through a similar thing with Sirius." James said quietly, fidgeting with his hands.

"You did? Sirius had a serious relationship?" I asked, leaning forward as James nodded stoically.

"He is. And it was very hard me to comprehend what she had that I didn't-"

"Oh, James." I whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder as he hung his head.

"Yes, and I often grew jealous of how much time he spent with her versus me… we even got into a drunken fight-"

"Over a girlfriend?" I asked quietly and James tilted his head back and laughed.

"No, no. His damn motorcycle." I scoffed as I removed my hand. "You got jealous of a _motorcycle?"_ I asked incredulously.

"He named it _Bella._ Because it was so beautiful." James said seriously and I couldn't help but erupt into a fit of giggles.

" _Bella_? He actually named it _Bella?_ "

"Oh, yes he did. And he talks about her all the bloody time. Drove me mad, so I told him. Granted, I should have simply talked to him rather than shout at him… We should have both been sober too. That would've helped." James said, shrugging a bit though as he smiled at me.

"Anyways, my point is to just talk to her if you're feeling that you're growing apart. Though it still seems that you two are close… just from the security side. Seems like you two have something special." James said, and I couldn't help but smile. Because Petunia would never leave me behind, and even though she drives me absolutely bonkers, she is still my sister.

"Thanks, James… that was nice of you." I said, giving him a small smile that he easily returned.

"Well, with that, I guess I should pretend to be working." He said, giving me a wink as he hopped up, brushing some debris off his pants. "Enjoy your afternoon!" He cried, as he walked away as I started to read about the Bennet sisters again.

Except, this time, I flipped back to the ball and started to read from there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Princess and the Wizard  
 **Author:** Nesma  
 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing  
 **A/N:** Figured it would be a good idea to just publish the rest of this story...

* * *

"Alright, so I hear that one of you has some good news to share with us?" Said the pretty blonde journalist, her eyes twinkling as the crowd started to clap.

Under the lights, Petunia blushed slightly and averted her gaze downwards.

"Well now, don't make a mountain out of an anthill. It's just a small bit of news." Petunia said, chiding the journalist a tad as she giggled. The blonde journalist smiled back.

"Does it have to do with the fact that you're always with a certain someone…" The journalist trailed on as the crowd started to make some 'ohhhh' noises. Petunia giggled, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Yes, yes it does. As some magazines may have noticed… I am spending a lot of time with Vernon Dursley." She gave a coy smile to the audience, fully aware that everyone was sitting on the edge of their seat. "And I am indeed dating him and we couldn't be happier." At this, the crowd applauded and cheered as Petunia blushed, batting her eyes. I gave her a grin and a thumbs up as the journalist signaled the audience to calm down. She then focused her attention on me.

"Now, what do you think of him? You think he's right for your sister?"

I gave her my biggest smile, batting my eyes as I gave the well-rehearsed line, "I absolutely adore Vernon for my sister. The way those two are, well, they're true lovebirds." I said, giving Petunia a small smile that she returned. The crowd all awed at my comment.

"And what about yourself Lily? Is there any lad in your life right now?"

I took a breath and froze for a second. These weren't the questions that were sent to us. More time was meant to be spent on my sister, not _me._ And even so, it was an _easy_ question. No blokes in my life, even though James' face popped to mind the second the question was out.

I bit my lip and shook my head quickly. I could already feel the heat on my cheeks and the journalist looked at me as if I was a rabbit and she was a hunter, her grin bared her teeth.

"Really now? It seems that by your response that perhaps another Evans sister may be off the market soon."

I was truly blushing now. _Fuck._ My brain went haywire as I tried to find words, grammar, _anything_ so that I could operate again. But I sat frozen at the seat, blushing madly.

"Oh no, there's not necessarily a lad at the moment. Just a hint of someone becoming a bit more than mates." Petunia chimed in quickly, placing a hand of hers over mine as she giggled. "Lily is no-where near to me and Vernon but, we should all keep an eye on her." Petunia teased, as she squeezed my hand twice. I laughed on cue, covering my mouth with my available hand. I was able to start breathing again and my shoulders started to relax (I didn't realize that they were so tense in the first place).

"Is that so?" The journalist tilting her head towards us as I nodded.

"Nothing serious. There's been a lad who've I've been seeing but I think we may be mates for now. And I'm quite happy about it." I said firmly, biting my lip and giving her a smile as the journalist nodded before going into a speech about next week.

I sat there gripping my sister's hand and praying to God and whoever else was up there that James was _not_ watching this interview. I mean, how awkward was that? Either he realized that I think that him being nice to me during his shift meant that we were 'hanging out' and realized that I am a complete moron OR he thinks there's another bloke OR some wild third option that my brain couldn't even comprehend at the now.

And suddenly, the lights went down, the cameras shut off and it seemed like everyone was going in every which way.

"Come on." Petunia whispered, tugging me up as I came to my feet numbly, blindly following her as our security team for the day encircled us as we walked towards the car.

"That was awful," I whispered, absolutely mortified as we settled into the cars, on our way back home. Petunia shrugged and gave me a small smile.

"It was really nasty of her to ask you that – she _promised_ that she would stick to the questions that were sent our way. And everyone knows, even the public, how private you can be. If anything, this is going to reflect badly on her. Not you. You handled it well-"

"With your help," I muttered bitterly, crossing my arms as Petunia rolled her eyes; but not unkindly.

"What are big sisters for? I'd do anything for you, you know that. Even if it means hiring sketchy men to beat up our newest friend…"

And I laughed, clutching my stomach and feeling a bit at ease as the car hummed softly on the road.

* * *

After the whole interview, Petunia decided to meet with her security team in regards to her and Vernon. While I settled in one of the many libraries with a book in my arm, unable and unwilling to deal with the reality of my own situation and praying that the attention would be on my sister and not me.

"So, I saw the interview." Came a voice at the doorway. I snapped my head up to see Sirius Black leaning against the door frame.

"Great," I muttered dryly, shutting the book close and placing it to the side as Sirius walked towards me. A look of sympathy in his eyes.

"You know that everyone knows that she plays dirty. It was really unfair for her to ask that, especially after your sister announced her love life." Sirius said gently, sitting down next to me as I focused on the table in front of me.

"Yeah, but it was a simple question and me, I just… froze." I said, clenching my fists as the memory washed over me. "I've answered that question many times and I never struggled-"

"You didn't have James before," Sirius said quietly, twirling his thumbs as he eyed me carefully.

"But… we're just mates. I think." I said, looking down at my pants and wiping my hands. "I mean, he's hired to be around me and to protect me…"

"You're mates. James doesn't read unless it's important or to impress someone." Sirius said simply, pulling his own knees to his chest. "I would know, seeing that I've been his roommate since 11 years old."

"Huh," I said, toying with this newfound bit until I remembered something.

"He said he wanted to read the classics. Obviously, you'd start with Jane Austen-"

"Well, you don't just tell some bird you like that you're reading all of her favorite books to get to know her better. That's just weird. Even for James." Sirius interrupted, moving his feet around as I drew in a breath.

"But still, as of now, we're just mates. It would be too complicated if we were to date-"

"Oh, you don't even know half of it," Sirius said, snorting to himself.

"What do you mean by that?" I retorted, because if the fact that I'm royalty and he's part of my security team would make it complex… well, I think I have a right to know.

"Can't do that, would be breaching all sorts of promises that I made. And I intend to keep them." Sirius quipped, pushing back a lock of his own hair.

"Though, it would make things difficult… that's all I'll say."

"So you don't think I should date him? Hypothetically that is?" I said quickly, blushing a bit as Sirius eyed me again though with a smile on his face. He took a deep breath and stared out on the countryside.

"I think, that it is the stupidest thing he could do to date you. First, there is Kingsley who would list how dishonorable it is and all that bullshit. Then, there is the fact that you are constantly in the spotlight and James needs to stay _out_ of the spotlight-"

"Because he's a criminal hiding from the law?" I blurted out, half joking and half serious because you never _do_ know. Sirius just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that is _exactly_ why he can't be in the spotlight. Kingsley hired a dangerous fugitive on the run to protect the royal family. That sounds _exactly_ like Kingsley." Sirius said in a bored tone.

He had a point.

"Anyways, there is the fact that things would simply be _weird._ I mean, how would you two go on dates? And meeting the parents would be an awkward experience… for the both of you." Sirius rambled, waving his hands around as my heart sunk.

If his _best friend_ was against the idea of us dating, hypothetically. Then why should we? And why do I even _care?_

"So, you think no then?" I whispered, pushing a strand back as Sirius let out a frustrated groan.

"You're not _listening_." He whined, pulling a bit at his hair. "I think it would be reckless if you two dated but… you two seem to make each other happy, so why not? I think James needs a reminder that there are things in life worth risking your neck for. Besides, I don't mind hanging with you so that's a definite improvement from his last girlfriend." Sirius said, grinning as my heart fluttered.

"Well, glad you approve of this hypothetical situation but I don't know if it's going to happen."

Sirius threw his hands in the air and started shaking them as if he were arguing with some higher powers. His hands dropped and he turned to face Lily. "Alright. Fair. You two are just mates for now. But, if you happen to get together, could you _possibly_ make it sooner rather than later? I have money on you two-"

"You're _betting_?! With who?"

"The entire security team, except James and Kingsley of course, has money on you two!" Sirius exclaimed, laughing at my shocked expression. Which, I'm sure is hilarious on the other side but I just found out that men were actually _betting_ on _when_ I was going to start dating James. Not _if_.

"The entire security team?! This is insane…" I said, shaking my head as Sirius continued to laugh.

"It's fairly obvious on our end. I mean, James throws that million dollar smile with those dimples and you give him this 'come hither' smile-"

"I do _not_ have a 'come hither' smile!"

"Yes, you do! We even have footage-"

"You blokes watch _footage_ of me to see if I give James a 'come hither' smile?!"

"Uh, you know, that makes us sound a lot creepier than we actually are. We do have to go through the tapes for any suspicious behaviors and… well… you notice details on the fifth time of rewatching the same bloody tape…" Sirius rambled, and then sighed dramatically.

"Anyways, thought I'd let you know that your future boyfriend has zero clues who you were referring to in that interview and to settle your nerves. I shall go back to being a bodyguard before Kingsley orders for my head to be chopped off." Sirius said, standing up and looking around.

"What's on the schedule for the rest of the week by the way? " He asked, wiping down his pants.

"Not sure, here, let me see," I said, rummaging through my bag until I found my tattered agenda. Leafing through the pages until I hit the correct week.

"Socialwise… meeting with the Malfoys. And that's in two days. Hopefully, some celebrity did something more embarrassing than I did on television by then." I muttered, shutting it close while Sirius remained very quiet.

"Something wrong?" I asked, tilting my head as Sirius stood there with a confused look.

"Nothing. Just… just lost track in that moment. That's all." Sirius said, but he sounded odd and there was a look of deep concern on his face.

"Do you know the Malfoys?" I asked, standing up as Sirius took a step back, putting his hands up.

"I do. But, I doubt they are the same ones. Really, Lily, it's nothing." He said, placing a hand on my shoulder before walking away. Not even giving me a chance to follow up with questions.

* * *

"Right this way, the couple is _very_ excited to meet you." Said the man in front of us, I assume he's from the communications/marketing team, as Petunia and I exchanged glances.

"We're thrilled to meet them, sounds as if the pair of them are very ambitious." Petunia said, lying through gritted teeth.

You see, neither one of us could discover who the Malfoys were. We knew that the couple, Lucious (like the cat from Cinderella) and Narcissa were a wealthy British couple that had recently climbed the social ladder among the elite rather quickly.

Almost, _too_ quickly. The connections among the elites seemed to have formed within an instant. There were no mentions of them in any of the newspapers and it seems as if they sprouted from thin air. Or as if their lives only started months ago.

"At least it's only for twenty minutes," I whispered to Petunia, hoping that the man ahead of us was oblivious. Petunia nodded as he knocked on a door and entered. Seconds later we were called in.

"And here they are!" He said with a flourish as two very blonde people smiled at us before bowing and curtsying. The male, with long blonde hair, stepped forward and extended his hand to Petunia who shook it graciously.

"Lucious Malfoy. It is an honor to meet the pair of you." He said, moving swiftly from Petunia to myself. Smiling, I shook his hand as his wife, with equally blonde hair and a small smile stepped forward.

"Narcissa Malfoy. What an _honor."_ She said, stressing on the last word as her fingers seemed to have done their best to try to break a few bones.

"Well, shall we sit down?" Petunia offered, gesturing towards the sofa and armchairs. As Petunia sat down, I scanned the room, noting which security members were on duty. After the odd conversation with Sirius yesterday, I discovered he was supposed to be on duty; yet, it was James who was standing stiffly. His jaw tense and his arms rigid as he glared at the back of the Malfoy's heads.

What on _Earth_ do these boys know about the Malfoys? Was it so bad that Sirius had to switch shifts?

"Well, tell us about yourself." Petunia said after I had finally settled on the other end of the sofa. Petunia was fidgeting with a ring on her finger as Narcissa started to speak for the pair of them. In the middle of her sentence though, Petunia's ring seemed to have ended on the floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Not sure how it got there!" Petunia said, laughing at herself nervously; she never dropped her rings.

This was _so_ odd. Why was Sirius so repulsed by the Malfoys yesterday? Why was it so bad that he had to switch shifts? Even though there is no note or piece written about the infamous pair? Why did it seem that James was ready to murder them on the spot? And in all of the 17 years of knowing Petunia, why did her fidget habit make her ring drop _today._ Of all days?

As she bent over to pick up the ring as Narcissa continued to babble, I felt as if my mind had been wiped. A sense of happiness came over me, as if every little worry, though, or fear seemed to have floated away. Then, a small voice whispered in my mind, almost kindly so.

" _Stand up."_

And I was about to, my hands placed on my sides and I was ready to stand up when another voice, my voice, spoke from the back of my mind.

"Why? That would be rude to stand up. I think I'll stay here and avoid humiliation. Thanks."

This time, the voice was firmer.

" _Stand UP."_

"No. I will not. I will stay here."

" _STAND UP. Or pay the price."_

"I will stay here-"

And that's when it happened when it felt like my entire skin was on fire. As if there were thousands of knives stabbing my body as if my muscles were plunged in ice, and as if someone was ripping out my nails. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. It was only once the pain was gone that I found my voice again.

"Lily! Are you alright?" Petunia said she was crouched down on the ground with me as I breathed heavily. How _did_ I end up on the ground? My hands shook as I tried to steady myself, and my stomach felt as if it were submerged in an ice bath as I tried to regain control of the situation.

" _Tell her you're ill from food poisoning and then, STAND UP. Or you know what happens next…"_ The voice said in a cruel tone.

 _No._ I thought frantically, and my own voice was much louder. I wasn't going to say I was ill from food poisoning. No.

"Lily! Say something." Petunia whispered, her hand on my shoulder as I continued to gulp down some breathes.

"I must have slipped-"

" _STAND UP_. _ON YOUR OWN YOU FOOLISH GIRL._ " The voice was angry, livid, and for a second I felt the temptation to just obey. To just listen. To just follow through the motions.

But I never did something just because someone told me. Even if it was from the Queen or King.

"Surely we should get you up and back on the couch." Petunia interrupted, trying to wrap her hands around my arms but I pulled back.

"No, I would rather stay down here for the moment," I said, unsure as to _why_ I was disobeying the voice in my head.

" _You stupid girl. You'll pay for this. The Dark Lord won't let you escape._ "

And the pain came back. It felt as if it was roaring with anger as every part of my body was in pure agony. I wanted to scream, I wanted to fight, I wanted to do something… but all I could do was thrash. My voice was gone yet again.

It was only when I heard a dull thud, a cool liquid dripping past my ears, and a scream that I passed out.

* * *

"Kingsley said he'd be here any moment-"

 _Sirius._

"One spell-"

 _James?_

"Mate, no."

"She's _bleeding._ "

 _Definitely James._

"She'll live. The doctor will stitch her in no time-"

"That's barbaric!"

"Try not to worry so much."

"I can't… not with her."

And then it was dark again.

* * *

This time, when I awoke again, the family doctor was peering over me with his PA at his side who was taking notes. I could hear Petunia fretting in the corner as Kingsley talked to her in low tones.

"Lily?" The doctor said as I blinked, my hand going straight to my head as a dull ache seemed to have settled all over my body. My head pounding and my stomach wanted to turn inside out.

Oh, _no_.

And luckily, the PA was smart enough to give me a metal bowl as I vomited into the container, hating every second of it and trying _not_ to focus how many people were watching me. There was an audible gasp and I could hear my sister running towards me, her hands quickly pulling my hair back as I retched into the blasted thing for the second time.

"There, there." The PA said in a soothing tone as she took away my sick ridden bowl as I breathed heavily, one hand covering my right eye as I tried _not_ to cry. I felt a tugging sensation on my hand and I could tell that they hooked me up to some sort of IV drip.

"Can you tell us your name?" The doctor said gruffly, his hand clutching a pen as he focused his attention on me.

"Lily Evans. My name is Lily Evans." I said, feeling so tired and resting against my pillows.

"Can you tell me your sister's name?"

"Petunia or Tuney." I said, feeling slightly dizzy as I shut my eyes for a second. When I opened them, the doctor was peering at me with a small light.

"Follow the light." And I did as he asked as he made 'hmm' noise. As he turned away, I scanned the room and nearly burst into tears when I realized that James, Sirius, Kingsley, and a few other members of Petunia's security team were standing around looking anxious.

A new wave of humiliation hit and I just wanted to crawl under the bed and hug my knees close until the throbs, the aches, and the soreness just _stopped._

"Alright, seems that you have a concussion. You'll need to be woken up every few hours tonight to ensure that you don't slip into a coma. You'll also need to avoid washing your hair for 48 hours-"

"Ew. Why?" I asked, my hand immediately going to my head as I felt the oily roots.

"It's because of the stitches." The doctor said calmly, and at my bewildered look he softened a bit. "You had twenty stitches."

"I had _what?"_ I said as I felt the panic swell up inside of me. Because I certainly don't remember getting twenty stitches.

"Don't worry, memory loss is normal. And you were rather nervous, so I suspect that you've entirely blocked out that memory. Do you remember what happened before the incident?"

I spluttered, for saying the truth would make me sound _insane._ I paused for a second before answering in a small voice.

"I fell and hit my head." Glancing down at the sheets, hoping I was right, hoping that this would pass-

"Right. Well, you seem to be doing alright, for now, we'll be removing your IV and we'll be well on our way." At once, he started to tug at the IV strand until the needle was gone and a band-aid was quickly wrapped around the spot.

"I'll see you sooner rather than later to remove those stitches. Take care." He said, briskly putting his things away as Petunia clutched my hand.

"You want something to eat? Drink?" She asked nervously, and I nodded my head.

"Some water would be nice." I said, and she instantly left my bedside as she yelled over her shoulder, "I'll be back!" as she snaked her way out of the room with the doctor, her security team, and the PA.

After the door slammed shut, I bought the sheets up closer to my chin as I started to take more shallow breaths. I looked around the room, making the briefest of eye contacts with James before averting them.

I can't _believe_ he saw that whole episode.

"Boys, why don't you stand outside. I need to talk to Lily." Kingsley said, and the two nodded before walking to the door. The pair of them looked over their shoulder, waved a bit before exiting.

"Well, you had quite a day," Kingsley said gently, as he walked towards me as I bit my lip.

"Something exciting for the team report. Glad I can create some excitement for the security team." I said quietly, forcing my lips to smile but it felt more like a grimace.

"Lily, I have to ask you something," Kingsley said, as he took a seat near my bed and scouted the chair closer. "Do you remember anything… unusual about the incident?"

Well. Apart from hearing voices in my mind, being in extreme pain, and threatening all in the span of minutes? No, nothing at all was unusual.

And a part of me wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him how I was hearing _voices_ and how they were commanding me and how it felt like I was being tortured. I wanted to tell him that something was wrong but to speak it out loud…

Well, that would be admitting what happened. That would mean a 'crazy' label slapped on me. That would mean tabloids never leaving me along and writing about Loony Lily. It would mean far more trouble than it was worth sharing.

"No. It was just a clumsy fall." I said quickly, staring hard at my quilted cover. Kingsley let out a deep sigh and I could tell that he was disappointed. Was he _hoping_ it was something more dramatic? He surely couldn't have _known_ the truth?

"Alright then. Feel better. I suspect your sister will come through the door any second now." He said, standing up and wondering over across the room. Just as he reached the door, Petunia came rushing with a glass in her hand.

"Here." She said, breathing rather heavily as I grabbed the cup and started to gulp the contents down easily.

"Want me to stay?" Petunia said, sitting close to my bed as her eyes were large with worry. She was always such a motherly person.

"No, it's okay, you have that date-"

"I can cancel-"

"I just want to sleep. It would be terribly boring. Just… come back later this evening if I'm awake and you can tell me all about it." I said, and she bit her lip as if deciding as if this was the best course of action.

In the end, it seemed like my suggestion won, as she stood up and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again." She said, and I gave her a small smile.

"I won't. Now go see Vernon! Tell him hi from me." I said, and she gave me a lingering look before leaving the room.

The second that she was gone and I was finally alone in my room, I curled up on my side and cried quietly to myself. It had been an overwhelming day and it wasn't every day that you discovered you were _mad._

* * *

"Lily?" I felt a pair of hands on me before I opened my eyes. Staring blankly at me was James Potter.

"Oh. Hi." I whispered hoarsely, clearing my throat but still felt as if it were raspy.

"Here. I-uh-brought you some water." He said weakly, gesturing to the cup near my bed. His hand went to the back of his head as he ruffled his hair.

"Thanks," I said, reaching over for it and taking a few gulps. "Guessing it was time to make sure that Princess Lily was still breathing?" I asked, trying to laugh at my own clumsy joke, but the words came out bitter and forced laugh would make anyone cringe.

I was just so… frustrated. Through this whole ordeal. By the fact that I may be hearing voices in my mind. That a 'dark lord' will come after me. That I was in pure agony, with no real explanation, except for the fact that I hit my head. I felt a stranger in my own body and I wanted nothing more than to disassociate with myself for a few hours. Or days.

"Considering that my main job is to make sure that you're alive, I would argue that every hour of the day 'is Princess Lily still breathing?'" James said, giving her a small smile, he was teetering on his feet; as if he was unsure if he should stay or go.

"You can sit you know," I told him, eying the chair behind him as the last few rays of sunshine fell upon him.

He nodded and took a seat, bringing it very close to my bed. For a few seconds he hardly said a word, just wringing his hands together.

"You scared me today." He whispered, leaning back and locking eyes with me. "You really gave me a fright." And there was something in his hazel eyes that made my heart beat a bit faster than usual.

I shrugged. "At least my life is interesting, right? I'm sure the tabloids will be all over this, 'Princess Lily's Frail Fainting Condition." I snapped, spreading my arms out as if I was laying down a headline. James chuckled, but it seemed more out of fear than anything else.

"First, your life is plenty interesting – stop trying to downplay it. Second, this incident is staying within these walls. Your commitments have been canceled, the press will know that you have the common flu and you are advising my people as possible to get their flu shots. Something that the public health department is looking forward to." James shrugged as I mulled over the information.

"Fair enough. At least I won't need to dodge insanity questions, like, how on _earth_ did you manage to give yourself a concussion." I said, laughing a bit to myself. Because, honestly, giving yourself a concussion is quite a feat. Though, James seemed uncomfortable as he squirmed in his chair and started ruffling his hair.

"Everything alright?" I asked kindly, tilting my head as James puffed out his cheeks and gave a sigh.

"With me? Yeah, I mean, I'm not the one with a _concussion_ -"

"You know what I mean James."

He was silent for a moment before nodding. "I'm alright… I'm just not sure how much I believe your story though."

I froze as it felt like my stomach was plunged into ice. After all, everything that happened… the voice and the pain were _in my head._ There was no way he could have heard it.

Could he?

"What do you mean?"

James adjusted himself on the chair again. "It's just… right before you fell to the ground, it looked like you were in pain." He said, averting his gaze as I felt my anger rise, bubbling from the pit of the stomach and into my veins.

I shook my head, "There's no reason to think that-"

"It was all over your face-" He interrupted, leaning forward.

"What do you _mean_ it was all over my face?" I snapped angrily, "What an idiotic thing to say." I snapped again, crossing my arms and turning away from James who sighed heavily.

"Lily… you can tell me anything. You know that, right? Even if you think what happened to you was illogical or impossible-"

"Why would you say that," I said coolly, crossing my arms and staring at James whose shoulders slumped forward.

"Because… I have watched hours of tapes of you. Never have you slipped as you did off the couch, never did you thrash around, and… well, you're talkative and for moments as you fell- it looked like you had no voice." James said uncomfortably, "It doesn't add up." He said, rummaging a hand through his hair as I bit my lip, hoping that I wasn't tearing up.

"I don't _believe_ that falling story because it's not what I saw happen. Despite what the _Malfoys_ -" He hissed out the name in revulsion, "-or what anyone else said to happen for the matter. So, I'm asking you to tell me, in your own words, _what happened._ " He said, his eyes piercing into mine as I gripped my sheets.

Tell him what happened? He'd think I was insane. Forget about the living room incident, this is far worse. But I can't lie and all the emotions and feelings were bottled up felt as it were about to tip over.

"Hey-don't cry, it's okay," James said, standing up and hovering awkwardly over my bed as I tried to stop a sob from escaping.

"Shh, it's okay." He whispered, wrapping his arms around me, bent in half as he gave me a hug. And that small bit of kindness was enough for me to cry into his jacket, snot, and everything.

"I'm sorry-I don't mean to be a mess-" I panted out between the hysterics as James rubbed my back comfortably, the smell of his deodorant or aftershave was oddly calming.

"It's okay. I promise. You can cry as much as you want." He whispered, and I nodded into his chest.

"This can't be comfortable for you, standing over and such," I muttered, my breaths finally coming in smoothly. "You can climb on the bed if you want-goodness knows there's enough space." I murmured, and instantly felt my face heat up. And there was a beat of silence as James seemed to contemplate this before pulling away from me and walked over to the other side.

Glancing over, he sat on the bed and started to untie his shoes. My heart rate picked up as he successfully kicked both shoes off before scooting closer to me, wrapping an arm around me as I instantly placed my head on his shoulder. His free arm took hold of one of my hands and it was all very confusing but very nice at once.

"Your bed is very nice. Is that okay to say?" James asked, and I chuckled.

"Maybe don't bring it up to Kingsley. Or anyone really. Lord knows that rumours they'd come up about us." I whispered, coughing a bit as my voice came out scratchy.

"Yeah," James said, as he took a deep breath and stared around the room.

"Anything interesting?" I asked, and James looked down on me.

"Other than you? Nothing." He said, giving my hand a squeeze as my heart jumped into my throat.

"Oh, that's a nice thing to say."

"It's true." He whispered, and another squeeze. And it felt like it was a nudge of courage that I needed as his thumb started to rub circles on the back of my hand.

"So you asked about today…"

"Mhmm."

"I think I'm going mad," I whispered hoarsely as James' thumb stopped immediately.

"You think _what?_ "

"I think I'm going mad, because, you see… this afternoon it felt as if someone invaded my mind. And they were trying to tell me to do things. And when I didn't do it… they put me in a _lot_ of pain. And it happened twice or three times. And they mentioned something about a Dark Lord not letting me escape? And then I thought I overheard a conversation about spells between you and Sirius. So, basically, I'm _insane._ " I said in a rush as if worried that if I didn't tell him soon enough that the madness would fester within.

"You're not insane, the fact that you think you are would imply a catch-22…"

"I thought you didn't read?"

James snorted, "I don't need to read the novel to understand the reference. Good to know that you have confidence in me." He said in a teasing tone as I chuckled.

"I guess… but then, what was all that stuff? About a Dark Lord? I mean, who's ever heard of that?"

"Honestly? I think those Malfoys are slimeballs-"

"Why?"

James hesitated, "The reason why Sirius and I switched today is that there is bad blood between him and the Malfoys. They are… related, distantly, but you could not find anyone more unlike as the pair of them. Sirius disagrees with his family a lot and it just so happens that the Malfoys are on extremely good terms with his family. So, when Sirius had enough of their bullshit, he moved out and his family basically treated him as if he was dead. The Malfoys are no different." James said.

"I never knew that," I whispered as I stared straight ahead. "But how come I couldn't find anything in the relation between the Malfoys and the Blacks? If they're so close surely there is an article-"

"Privacy. The two families love it. Helps them achieve this 'mysterious air' and create this weird popularity thing." James said, shrugging as his hand on my shoulder moved up and down.

"I honestly wouldn't put it past them that they poisoned you or something-"

"Oh come on-"

"I'm serious! Through the air or something? A small little squirt and you're hallucinating-"

"This is ridiculous, you sound like Kingsley-"

"How often is he wrong?" James retorted, and at that, I stayed silent. "That's what I thought. And he has similar views." James said, as he went on, "He thinks you were poisoned, and you telling me this lets me narrow down what they could have used."

"So… so you think there is a rational explanation after all?" I asked, the hope in my chest blowing up as James chuckled.

"For you to be insane would be to recognize that it isn't insanity… so yes, I think there is a reasonable argument here on your side of the story."

"What about Tuney? Why didn't she get affected?" I asked quickly, after all, why go after me?

James shrugged, "She can be immune to it or she may not have been the targeted one. There are lots of different theories."

Just as I felt the warmth of hope trickle down to my toes, it froze as a new memory floated through my mind.

"What about you and Sirius though? Did one of you take me to my room?"

James tensed up next to me, I felt his body stiffen as I rattled out the question. I looked up at him and frown.

"Well, er, _I_ carried you to your bedroom. Got my workout in for the day-"

I punched him in the arm, and James merely gave his deep throaty laugh.

"I'm kidding, you're light as a feather. Anyways, I brought you to your room as Sirius coordinated the security team to organize, Kingsley barked orders in my walkie-talkie and I was instructed to stay in your room with Sirius until the medical team arrived-"

"But the conversation-"

"We talk in code. I can't really tell you what we were talking about… but I can guarantee you were _not_ talking about spells with frogs and such." James said, reassuringly as he hugged me closer.

"Alright…" I trailed off, as I was suddenly getting sleepy.

"Tired?" James asked softly, as I kept opening and closing my eyelids. I nodded sleepily as James chuckled, swooped down and gave me a kiss on my forehead. I opened my eyes and looked up at him and felt a warm feeling sweeping through my body.

"Thanks for being here." I whispered as James leaned down enough to have our foreheads touching.

"Thanks for not dying today." He whispered back, a smile on his face as he gave me a second kiss on the forehead, I felt a smile on my face as I started to doze off.

"Sweet dreams Lily." He said as he started to slip off the bed. I was already falling asleep when he was at the door, though I could tell he paused for a bit before leaving the room.

* * *

 **A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The Princess and the Wizard  
 **Author:** Nesma **  
A/N:** It's funny when I decide to upload the rest of this story. The updates may come quicker now that I just want to share what I have. I've always wanted to finish a long story like this. I should put more time into the grammar and what not... but for now, I'll let it be. **  
Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

"Good afternoon!" Came an extremely cheerful voice from the doorway; Sirius' head was poked through the doorway, looking as chipper as ever.

Well. Everything seems to be a tad brighter and cheerier after revelations. Or after cuddling sessions with a very attractive member of my security team. And an ally is much needed since Kingsley will have no doubt have issues about the relationship… or whatever we were.

"Thought I'd come in and let you know how immensely happy I am that you didn't kick it the other day-" I gave a snort as Sirius went on, "-As I would have been surely out of a job, and we wouldn't want to have that now, do we?" He said, winking a bit as he sat at the edge of my bed.

"No, that would be terrible." I said, as I looked down at the bed sheets. "Has there been any advancements with Kingsley's theory?" I asked, tugging on a particular thread. Sirius bowed his head and shook it.

"Nope. But, the good news, is that the Malfoys will never come near you again-"

"Or you then?" I asked as Sirius stiffened. And I felt as if my stomach dropped, because it never occurred to me that James didn't tell his best mate about our conversation. I assumed that, at the very least, some cliff notes version would have been presented.

"Sorry." I said quietly, twirling the thread furiously between my fingers. "I assumed that James told you that I knew that you know the Malfoys from your family." I muttered, I could feel my face heating up as Sirius coughed.

"Don't worry about it. Most people in my life know about the ugly nature of my family, the public disownment, the Potters basically adopting me as one of their own…" Sirius trailed off as I felt my eyes go wide. Because, it seems as if James' was keeping some things away.

"No other family would take you in?" I asked aghast as Sirius laughed quietly to himself.

"I was a black sheep in a bad family. I had a few cousins like me, but they were in no position to help me. I did have a wealthy uncle, a very sick one, who left me all the gold in the world when he passed away so… I guess I got help in some form." Sirius said, shrugging as I bobbed my head a bit.

"But the Potters-"

"Made sure that I had a bed to sleep, a roof over my head, and delicious dinner. Despite James and I going out in the real world and battling the bad guys… we're still expected to go home every Sunday for dinner." Sirius said, and I smiled to myself.

It was a nice thought, the two boys going home every weekend for a meal with the parents. It was comfy feeling that spread warmth in every corner of my body.

"Though, you're hardly battling bad guys here. I guess you don't bring home the best of stories." I teased as Sirius only grinned largely at me.

"Are you kidding? Well, I know that your life doesn't include dragons or goblins… but it's still interesting from time to time. Besides, Mrs. Potter _adores_ you-"

"She doesn't even know me!" I gawked out. Because I never knew what to do when people seemed to fawn over me as if they have known me for years.

It's very surreal when you have a hysterical man or woman tell you that they've followed your progress since the day you were born. And then, they tell you in explicit detail where they were when the Queen went into labour (usually waiting outside of the hospital) and then they go on about all the merchandise with my face on it that they've collected over the years. At the end, I'm expected to sign a photo album that they've made of the newspaper and magazine clippings they've collected over the years.

Actually, surreal doesn't even being to cover it.

Sirius shruged, "No, she doesn't. But when James told her about the positions we were taking, she made sure to buy every tabloid and read every book about you. She was curious. She liked what she read. Though, it could be that you two both read history books as if they were some great comic book…" Sirius trailed off as I had to laugh.

"What is she like? Mrs. Potter? And Mr. Potter?" I asked, pulling my knees up and resting my arms on them. Sirius gave me a grin and wiggled his eyebrows, "Want to know about your boyfriend's family?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "He's not my boyfriend. He's just a very good mate."

"Right, whatever. Anyways… they are like every other embarrassing parent you've met." Sirius said, gesturing with his hands to unknown figures. "Mrs. Potter is very motherly, always worried that we're working too hard or eating too little. In fact, once she found out you were sick, she _insisted_ that we bring you chicken soup – as if your many chiefs are unaware of the magical properties of that recipe! Though she can be very harsh, you don't want to be on her bad side." Sirius finished.

"And then… Mr. Potter, well, he can be a tad socially awkward. He's like James when he's meeting new people. Unsure of how to act and such and tends to come off cold and aloof. Though, he's a great listener and used to take every one of our problems extremely seriously. Like, that time when James and I were 12 or something and were worried that a banshee was going to kill us in our sleep. Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes at us and told us that it was the most ridiculous thing ever and that no banshee would ever dare try to cross her path. But Mr. Potter? He listened to our 20-minute explanation of why we believed we were doomed to banshees. And then worked with us to make traps. It was quite fun actually." Sirius said, smiling to himself of a memory.

And I thought that was sweet… they were both sweet parents. I adore my parents, but the monarchy is a full-time job and so I rarely get to see them or spend any real time with them; well, ever since I became an adult in their eyes.

"That's… that's really cute." I said. "Hopefully, I can meet them one day."

"I'm sure you will. _Especially_ if you just start dating James…"

"Okay, hold your horses, I have no idea if that'll happen-"

"Come off it-"

"No, I haven't really talked to him since that night… and I'd rather wait and see what happens. I am in no rush."

"Yes you are, I need to win this bet you see-"

"Oh my god, I'm not going to date him solely so you can win a bet-"

"I'll split the winnings. What do you say? 60/40?"

I threw my head back and laughed. "You're absolutely insane-"

"No, I'm quite serious. Get it?"

"Wow, that's so original Sirius." I said, rolling my eyes. As Sirius stared quietly down at my quilted covers.

"You know, you _are_ the princess…" He said in a suggestive way as he raised his eyebrows at me.

Uh, yes, I am quite aware I'm the princess. No other seventeen year old girl would need as many bodyguards.

"And your point being?" I retorted as Sirius shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms.

"Well, I mean, if you _want_ to meet the Potters, you could probably do it. Other royal members go out clubbing, what's preventing you from coming over to a house for a meal?"

I opened my mouth to say something back but closed it rather quickly. He _did_ have a point.

"I need an invitation-"

"I'm inviting you. It would be an honor and a privilege to have you over at the Potter's residence this coming Sunday." Sirius said, jumping from the bed and bowing deeply. I laughed as he picked up his head a bit and threw me a wink in my way.

"I have to get approval from Kingsley-"

"He'll grant it. You're surrounded by two bodyguards and he regards the Potters very highly in his books."

I narrowed his eyes at him, because Kingsley is never one to relax when it comes to matters of my security. Every event, every venue I visit goes through his inspection. If he deems it unsafe, then I have to reschedule. It's an absolute pain in the ass but sometimes, it's nice to use the whole 'security issue' as an excuse to get out of my least favorite events.

In fact, I don't think he's ever prohibited me from going to an event that I actually _wanted_ to go… perhaps he's on my side more than I anticipated.

"Alright then… I guess I'm accepting?" I said hesitantly as Sirius grinned widely as he jumped back to his spot on the bed.

" _Excellent._ Can I be here when you tell James this? I _must_ see his face."

"Tell me what?" Came James' voice as I turned my head to the doorway, his hands were behind his back as his face was scrunched with worry. Not as adorable as his dimple face but still cute.

"Uh, well, Sirius just invited me for Sunday dinner at your place. And I, uh, accepted?" I said nervously, wringing my hands together as James stepped into the room and kicking the door closed behind him.

His eyebrows went up as he strode across the room.

"Oh. Well, yes, I do suppose that's alright-"

"If this is family only-"

"No, no. Not at all. I'd love for you to come over." James said, blushing furiously as he stood in front of Sirius and me. I blushed back as I looked down on my covers.

"What's behind your back mate?" Sirius asked, pointing to James who shuffled backward, as if trying to hide the mysterious object. I leaned forward as James pulled his lips in, shut his eyes, as he pulled his hands forward.

It was a bouquet of flowers. Daisies, lilies, and roses. They were beautifully arranged and a purple ribbon tied them together. Though, they were already in a vase with water in them. Sirius threw me a devilish grin as he pushed off the bed.

" _Well_ , I guess I'll take my cue to go then. Remember Lily, 70/30!" He yelled over his shoulder, hardly giving me time to protest as he marched out of the room. Though, I did have more pressing matters.

"These are _gorgeous._ Thank you so much!" I said, as James passed the vase to me. Giving me the chance to inhale the flowers before putting them by my bedside table. Grinning at them as James took his chance to sit on my bedside.

"So. Sunday." He said, fiddling with his hands as I frowned at him.

"I don't need to come-"

"No. It's not that. It'll be nice. I just… I just imagined that our first date wouldn't be at my parents' house _or_ orchestrated by Sirius Black. That's all." James said, giving me a small smile as my stomach dropped.

Well. When he put it _that_ way. Well, yes, that _is_ a tad awkward.

"At least I said yes, that has to count." I said, putting a hand on his leg as he gave me a look, his lips pulled into a smirk.

"That is true. I do have to look forward to the good things." He said, placing his own hand on top of my own. And for a while, we just sat there, content that our hands were touching.

"Plus, you get to meet Remus." James said, and at my quizzical look, he smiled. "Ah, so there was something that Sirius didn't share… Most likely he forgot though." James said in an afterthought.

"Who is Remus?"

"Oh, right, he's a mate of ours. His mother is coming over. She's, uh, also a fan of yours? So I might need to battle for your attention with the mothers." James said, and I threw my head back and laughed.

"That's a battle I'll enjoy watching." I said, and James rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, Remus is a good friend of ours. I wish Peter could come over, but he's busy that night… you'll like Remus." James said, clutching my hand a little harder as I stared into his eyes.

"What's he like?"

James took a heavy breath. "Well, he's quiet. Rather shy. Doesn't help that he has these scars across his face and feels self-conscious about them. But he likes to read, he loaned me some books after I discovered your love for them… he's a great guy." James ended, bobbing his head slightly.

"I can't wait to meet them. There's just one thing." I said as James tilted his head.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I have to ask Kingsley." I winced and James withdrew his hand.

"Ah. Well. Have fun asking him." He said, giving me a smile as I nudged him with my foot.

"Least you can do is _help._ "

"Noooo thank you. I'll let you battle that on your own. Besides, it'll look worse if I'm there too."

"Right. Well. You're right." I muttered.

"Let me know how it goes?" James said as he stood up, my hand falling off.

"Alright. Will do." I said as James walked out the door. He waved from the doorway before he walked out.

* * *

A few days of bed rest, another few pestering doctor appointments, and I was declared free. Quite marvelous since I was meeting _James' parents_ and had to ask Kingsley's permission to do so.

And that, that required quite a bit of courage. I really had to dig to the deepest corners of my heart and wrestle with my brain to get the stamina to walk all the way down to the security headquarters, and a few quick breathes and whispered "you can do this" before I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Kingsley's deep voice reverberated, and I took one last final deep breath before walking into the room.

"Ah, what can I do for you?" Kingsley said, eyeing me as his hands ruffled through some papers on the table.

"Well, uh, I was just wondering _if_ it would be possible and feasible for me to visit a friend's parent this weekend? Sunday to be exact." I said, mumbling a tad as I wrangled my hands together behind my back.

At this, Kingsley dropped his papers on the desk. He leaned back on his chair, his hands behind his head as he eyed me, squinting a tad as he did.

" _Which_ friend?" He asked. "You _know_ that I don't like it when you're vague…"

I gulped and pushed a strand of hair behind my ears. "Now, please don't get angry-"

"Oh, well, I _really_ don't like the sound of this." Kingsley said, his nostrils flaring a bit as a look of disgust was starting to be etched on his face.

"It's… well, James Potter invited me to his house." Kingsley's eyes widen and his jaw dropped slightly open. "Well, really, Sirius invited me over to James' house-"

"That sounds more right." Kingsley said, a smile appearing on his face as he started to chuckle.

"You're okay with this?" I asked, shocked when Kingsley shrugged his shoulders with a small smile on his face.

"I mean, I am not exactly _pleased_ on how informal the two have been around you. But, they're young, you're young, and I think the three of you make a good match."

"The _three_ of us?"

"Well, if I was being honest, I would say that you and a certain member of the trio look good together-"

"That is too much." I quickly cut him off. My face flaming, it felt as if it would erupt in flames. Which, in the grand scheme, getting more injuries would only give me more time to think over everything.

"Sorry. It wasn't my place." Kingsley said, putting his hands up, though a smile was still etched on his face.

"Alright. Glad we've cleared that up." I mumbled awkwardly, turning on my heels and was almost out of the door when Kingsley called out.

"Make sure you say hi to Mrs. Potter from me."

"You _know_ her?" I asked, turning around under the door frame as Kingsley laughed.

"She was actually one of the examiners for the exams at my school." Kingsley said, raising his eyebrows, "She gave me top marks-"

"Naturally." I said, rolling my eyes in a playful manner as Kingsley gave a heavy sigh.

"She gave me top marks, but my _God_ , she certainly chewed me out for the smallest details. So, tell her that Kingsley said hi." He said, and returned to the papers in front of him. Making it clear that the conversation was to be ended.

I walked out of the room with a spring in my step for I was going to see the Potters this Sunday.

* * *

Sometimes, I believe that I was a walking disaster. How could I not be? Being raised royal certainly had its consequences. I mean, yes, meeting world leaders and getting the best education and being _royal_ was a certain plus. But, despite having lesson after lesson, I felt like I was never properly taught on how to properly dress for a dinner date (party?) for a bloke's parents (and the fact that you like the bloke).

On my bed was about _ten_ different outfit choices. And on my chair, there were two, and then on the window/chair sill, there were about four different outfits. And I was considering of pulling out more.

I heaved a sigh as I fell into a cross-legged position on the floor as I eyed the outfits. Should I wear something nice? Something formal? Something casual? What does one wear to a _Sunday dinner with the Potters_?

And that's when the lightbulb went off in my head. I stood up and nearly tripped as I ran to my door (damn socks) and pulled it open. To my utter relief, Sirius gave me a startled look.

"I need your help." I said breathlessly, and Sirius' face erupted into a huge smile.

"Of course you do." He said smugly as he followed me in my bedroom. I simply rolled my eyes at him as I walked into my room.

"Whoa." Sirius whispered as he eyed the outfits. "Are you _honestly_ fretting over what to wear. Lily, the dinner is _tomorrow,_ not _today_ -"

"I know that!" I snapped irrationally. "And yes! Of course, I'm fretting over this outfit!" I nearly whined as I balled my fists to the side. "I have _no_ idea what to wear-"

"Just wear anything. Mrs. Potter and Lupin would be pleased either way." Sirius said as he walked closer to the bed. "Mer-Goodness, Lily, this isn't some royal ball." Sirius said, as he picked up a long dress. I blushed instantly as he threw it further down on the bed.

"I don't know that! You invited me to dinner during my concussion days! For all I know, I forgot the part when you told me that it was a black tie occasion." I said pointy, crossing my arms as Sirius nodded along.

"Fair point." He said as he glanced at the other outfits. "I think… something nice but not _too_ nice-"

"That is the least helpful clue you have _ever_ given me." I snapped as I looked at the outfit on the chair.

"I don't know, just wear a skirt or a dress-"

"What length though? Is Mrs. Potter conservative? Should the skirt/dress go to the knees or-"

"Are you _honestly_ telling me that this is what every female goes through when she gets ready for a date?"

"Frist, this isn't a date and secondly, yes. I think so." I snapped as I picked up a long black skirt with an olive top. I held it against my body. "This should work with a cardigan, right?" I asked as Sirius stared at me gobsmacked.

"No wonder it takes you ladies so long to get ready." He said, as he sat on my bed. "And yes, that is a lovely outfit. I'm sure the mothers will fall in love with it instantly and James-"

"Don't care how James will react," I said rather quickly as I put the outfit to the side. "Now, I have to get some work done and I suspect you do too," I said pointy, as Sirius put his hands up in the air.

"I'll get out of your way. And I'm looking forward to tomorrow. As is James I should add-"

"Sure he is." I said in a sarcastic manner as I followed Sirius to the door.

"Don't sweat it. You'll be _fine."_ Sirius said, as I rolled my eyes and playfully smiled at him.

* * *

After _finally_ deciding on an outfit, picking up some roses for the hostess, and figuring out what makeup to use (Petunia nixed the red lipstick as she said it would be too much like a 'scarlet woman'), I could honestly say that I was ready for the dinner.

My stomach, of course, was a bundle of nerves. Really, it felt as if a million butterflies had hatched in it and are were desperately flapping around. The only thing that really settled my nerves was watching the landscape as we drove to the Potter's residence. I placed my head on the window and watched as the fields rolled pass.

During long car rides, I was usually the one that could silently sit and imagine all sorts of day dreams. It was a nice ritual, especially right before all the excitement of different ceremonies.

"Quite far, isn't it?" I said to my driver, breaking away from the fields and trying to meet his eye in the rearview mirror.

"It is. But we're nearly there. Only ten more minutes." He said, eyes averting from the rearview mirror to the road again.

I took a steadying breath as I wiped my hands on my skirt. The palms were damp from nerves and I'm sure that if someone took my pulse it would be off the charts. Really, why was I so nervous? I have met parents before. Overzealous parents who were obsessed with the royal families. I could _handle_ Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Lupin.

But it was the fact that Mrs. Potter sounded like that woman you didn't want to disappoint. What if she thought I was some brilliant person thanks to royalty? Or what if she's upset by the flowers? What if she's _allergic_ to flowers? What if she's just… unimpressed with me?

Oh God, I don't think I could handle a disappointed mother. What if I somehow manage to disappoint the two of them? That is, quite easy to do when people tend to see you as something more than a person.

The number of times I've had small children say something like, "Oh, your photos make you seem like a _lot_ prettier." And I have to laugh it off as if it's the most _hilarious_ thing in the world. Or the amount of important political people who were dissatisfied with my answers to international affairs or the latest political jumble taking place (to be fair, most of the time it's just when men believe that I'm naïve and have a 'limited perception of the situation at hand'). Either way, lots of people imagine royalty meaning that you're the perfect gem, no blemishes, and no faults.

And believe me, I have _tons_ of faults. Being royal isn't a pass to avoid humiliating blunders or have awful hair days. They happen. A lot. And perhaps, my nerves were more about the fact that I was worried that Mrs. Potter would view me as a super-human and then be completely flabbergasted that I was something less.

Oh God. _Why_ did I agree to this dinner?

"We're here!" My driver shouted, and with a screech and sudden jolt forward, I realized that we had in fact reached our destination. I peered out the window and saw a mansion of a home, even from the tinted windows there seemed to be something friendly about it. And a few seconds later, my driver had open my car door and waited patiently as I fumbled with the seatbelt (you see, imperfect human being here).

"Have fun. And I'll be back later tonight to pick you up." He said kindly, shutting the door behind me as I nodded, my stomach tightening as I walked towards the front door of the house. I fiddled with the strap of my purse when I realized that I shouldn't be able to do it with _two_ hands.

"Wait! The flowers!" I yelped, turning around and hearing the gravel crunch underneath me as I sprinted towards the car. My driver was only halfway into his seat when he spotted my dash.

"Forget something?" He asked in a bemused fashion as I yanked open the door to grab the flowers.

"These!" I said, lifting the flowers up as he smiled.

"Dear me, careful, your forgetful mind may cause an international scandal."

"Har, har, very funny." I said, rolling my eyes as he laughed.

"Have a good night!" He said, slamming the door shut and starting the car. Taking this as a hint, I walked to the door, gripping the roses tightly in my hand as marched to the door.

Honestly. It wasn't _that_ big of a deal. So what if I was nervous? It's only natural. In fact, it would be unnatural if I wasn't nervous. Right.

And of course, I'm at the front door. And just before I was about to use the lion knocker, the door sprung wide open. Hand in midair, there was James Potter himself. Grinning nervously, a hand in his back pocket while the other was in his hair.

"Hi! You made it!" He said, opening the door wider as I stepped in, nervously laughing at his expression.

"Yes. Yes I did. Why? Worried that I wouldn't make it?" I said, placing a hand on his shoulder as he laughed.

"Worried that Sirius scared you off-"

"I would never do that. Doesn't work well for my current monetary interest you see…" Sirius said, his voice booming as he walked down the hallway towards us. I rolled my eyes and took my shoulder off of James, cradling the roses.

"Can I take your coat and purse?" James asked and I nodded earnestly, awkwardly balancing the roses from one arm to the other as I managed to shrug my coat off.

"Roses? For me Lily? Really now, there was no need." Sirius said, his eyes trailing to my feet where the roses lay. I scoffed.

"Obviously not for you." I said, bending down to scoop them back into my arms. "They're for the mothers. Well, for Mrs. Potter for hosting me and all." I said grinning. "Where is she anyway?" I asked, looking around.

"Living room, shall I take you? Might as well get all the introductions out of the way." James said, sidestepping around me as I followed in his steps. Sirius matching my speed as we walked down the hall.

"You do have a beautiful home James." I murmured, as my head turned to look at all the portraits. Men and women in frilly outfits, some of the landscapes, and several of them with lions. This family _does_ seem to have an odd fascination with lions come to think about it.

"Are lions part of your family crest? Or was?" I asked as I stared at what had to be the fifth lion portrait.

"Erm, something like that." James said, turning his head briefly, his hand going to his hair again. And that's when I noticed the open door at the end of the hallway, laughter was bursting from inside and spilled light fell into the hallway. As soon as we reached the door, James paused. He took a deep breath and opened the door widely.

And though I can't say for certain, I believed that James had some sort of speech he wanted to make. His mouth opened as if he wanted to announce my entrance (I bet Kingsley put him up to this) but, thankfully, a few gasps around the room cut him off and it was only a second before a tall woman was quickly approaching me. Her short black hair was curled inwards, and her oval face and blue eyes were shining with excitement.

"Your highness. Welcome to our home. I'm Mrs. Potter." She said happily, curtsying before reaching out a hand. Flushed, I shook her hand. "Thank you Mrs. Potter, I'm so happy to be enjoying the company of your family tonight. I, uh, brought you some flowers." I said awkwardly, thrusting out the arrangement. Mrs. Potter smiled as she took them from my arms.

"They are _lovely_ Lily. Thank you so much, let me go get a vase for them." She said, quickly turning on her heel as she disappeared through a side door. Then, a man with salt and pepper hair stood up from one of the plush red armchairs and walked over. He bowed awkwardly, arms stiff and I smiled nervously.

"Mr. Potter, nice to make your acquaintance." He said, smiling widely as I shook his hands. He had the same hazel eyes as James, but they were framed with far more wrinkles. Laughter lines as Tuney would say.

"Nice to meet you too Mr. Potter." I said, wiping my other hand down nervously. Why was I so nervous? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Alright, that was arrogant. As soon as he let go of my hand, there was a small woman standing nervously next to him. She kept smiling nervously and her hands were wringing each other out.

"Your Highness," She said quietly, curtseying and I could see that her hands were trembling, "Mrs. Lpuin." She continued, straightening up as I shook her hand. I gave her a polite smile and that's when it occurred to me.

The Potters were _clearly_ excited to have me over. As obvious as the smile on Mr. Potter's face to the booming of Mrs. Potter's voice. However, most people are _nervous,_ just a little bit. Either they speak too quickly, their hands shake, or they do something very clumsy and they blush furiously.

But the Potters exhibited _none_ of that. Not a hint that they were nervous or even fazed that they had royalty in their home. In fact, it was the same sort of boldness that James and Sirius had when I first met them. Most guards are scared stiff or put on this show that they're 'so at ease' with royalty. But those two? It always felt as if they were dumped onto the job with no knowledge of my background. That I was just an extraordinary gal that needed an extra watch. They treated me normal, which was fine by me. I'd rather have calm people versus the half-hysterical sobbing that occurs every so often.

Though, Mrs. Lupin was _clearly_ nervous. As if she grew up watching my every move. I wouldn't be surprised if she watched my parents getting married on the telly and watched with the rest of the world as my mum went to the hospital to birth the future princesses of England. She turned around, beckoning to a fellow sitting on one of the couches. He stood up, though, averting his gaze and peering downwards.

"This, this is my son. Remus Lupin." And Remus, head still down, bowed. It was only when he came up, that he lifted his face. And James' voice floated through my head.

Remus' face was marred with scars. As if he battled with beasts in his spare time. Though, despite this 'tough' look, his grey eyes were soft. As if he held more kindness than one person could bear. His sandy blonde hair had clearly been brushed and slicked back, most likely by his mother, and that's sweet if you let your mother still touch your hair at this age.

"Pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you from James and Sirius." I said kindly, reaching out my hand and Remus shook it.

"Ah, I could say the same about you. Though, to be fair, I've heard more from James than from Sirius." Remus said, his smile reaching his eyes and I had to laugh.

"Well, James has, unfortunately, had to deal with my presence a bit more than Sirius." I said, crossing my arms as I felt a blush creep up my face.

"Unfortunately? Nonsense. I assume it's a great honour to protect a fine woman as yourself." Mrs. Lupin said kindly, wrapping an arm around Remus who stared up at the ceiling.

"Oh." I said, blushing even more. "Well, that is very nice of you to say." I said, unsure really how to tell this kind woman that I live the most boring life of all the monarchies.

"Shall we sit down?" James asked, gesturing to one of the armchairs in the living room. I followed his lead and took a seat, conveniently, it was next to his armchair that he plopped down on.

"Lily, I heard you recovered from a nasty flu? I'm glad to see you up and about." Mrs. Lupin said, as she settled down on her own spot. Her hands resting primly on her lap.

"Uh, yes. I did. Wasn't much fun staying in bed all day." I said, tilting my head to the side as I brushed away a strand of hair.

"Hopefully you've received your flu shots?" I asked, knowing that the Department of Health would be ever so proud if they could hear me speak.

Mrs. Lupin smiled, in the background though, Mr. Potter frowned. My attention though was taken by Mrs. Lupin. "I have. Wasn't able to bring this boy in though." Mrs. Lupin said as she patted Remus on his back. He blushed a bit.

"Shots… I find them unpleasant. I have… well, nasty experiences with them." Remus said quietly, brushing some hair back.

"Well, Kingsley made the _entire_ security team get shots. First shot too! Was very unpleasant." Sirius said loudly, reclining back on his seat and putting his arms behind his head.

I frowned at this. _That_ was his first shot? "I thought students were required to get certain vaccines before starting school? I know I had too." I said, wrinkling my forehead as I looked around the room. Mrs. Lupin's eyes went wide as Remus stared at the frozen look of fear on Sirius' face and James ran a hand through his hair.

"It wasn't mandatory at the school." Mrs. Lupin said kindly, turning her face on me. She shrugged, "I recall that Mrs. Black once told me that she didn't believe in vaccines." Mrs. Lupin said evenly. "I'm sure you know that not every citizen gets the necessary vaccines, even though I personally believe it should be mandatory."

"Right." I said, shaking my head, laughing to myself. "I guess I always assume someone's had the proper shots." I said and Sirius nodded his head.

"Perhaps I'll do that this year. You know, get as many cute band-aids as possible on my arms. I'm sure that'll really attract all the pretty birds." He said, flexing his arms as Remus groaned and James wasted no time swatting him.

"Oh dear, you three aren't fighting already, are you?" Mrs. Potter asked as she walked into the room. The roses displayed beautifully in the vase as she placed it down on the coffee table. She turned towards me, "You know boys, always fighting, especially these lot." She said, laughing at her own joke as she sat down next to her husband.

"So all three of you went to school together? With Kingsley?" I asked, turning to face James who nodded.

" _Unfortunately_ , I had to share a room with these fools for seven years-"

"Oh right, because living with you is a dream come true." Sirius said quickly, winking in my direction as the people in the room laugh.

"I heard you were interested in History?" Mr. Potter asked, coughing slightly as he leaned forward.

I nodded. "I am. At the moment, I am reading quite a bit of American history. You really don't get to read up on it being a member of the British Monarchy." I said, smiling as Mr. Potter chuckled at my line.

"You know, James' great grandfather was a historian. Mostly wrote about the 1500s." Mr. Potter said, "Though, come to think about it, it was rather obscure events." He said thoughtfully, as he twisted around to look at the bookshelf behind him.

"Oh, do you have any of his books? I'd love to read them." I said, fiddling with the ring on my finger.

"I don't think so. Not here at least." Mr. Potter said, turning back around to properly face me. "I'm _sure_ they're in the house somewhere, just buried with everything else of the Potter's history." He said kindly, though his smile looked tight while his eyes shifted.

"Anyways, dinner is ready if we're all ready?" Mrs. Potter said, standing up with everyone following her lead.

"Excellent, I'm _starving,_ " Sirius said loudly, strutting ahead to Mrs. Potter. James was quickly at my side.

"As _always_. He's a human garbage disposal, that one." He said in my ear and I laughed.

"Are we discussing Sirius' eating habits? James, you don't want to make Lily _sick_ before dinner." Remus said kindly, stuffing his hands in his pocket as he matched his pace with James'.

"Oh, he can't be that bad," I said, and the two boys looked at each other.

"Well, I hope with a princess around he'll at least slow down," Remus said, and James shook his head. I stared at the two in amusement.

"I _think_ Kingsley mentioned something to him. Though, I think Kinsley just _assumed_ that Sirius would be on his best behavior tonight." James said, and Remus let out a laugh.

"Oh boy, has Kingsley learned nothing?" Remus asked, shaking his head.

"Nope. Thinks that since his Head Boy days that Sirius just cleaned up his act." James said stiffly.

"Well, that's a mistake." Remus said, snorting as both boys opened up the door to the dining room.

"We'll see what happens," James muttered under his breath as I passed him.

"I'm sure he'll be _fine._ Besides, I've seen grosser things than a man-eating like a pig." I told James, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"For your sake, I hope you're right." He said, covering my own hand with his and giving it a squeeze. "Come on now, let's settle down for a feast. I am hungry after all." He said, giving a smile as he pulled out my seat.

* * *

"This was a _delicious_ meal, Mrs. Potter." I said as I picked up my own plate with the other boys. Though Mrs. Potter (as well as Mrs. Lupin) insisted that I sit down, I refused. Telling her that I wanted to help with the dishes as a thank you for having me over. I think Mrs. Potter was stumped as James easily piled some plates into my arm to take to the kitchen.

"James!" Mrs. Potter said scathingly.

"Mum! She _wants_ to help. And since we can't use our usual method-" I heard James said as I walked into the kitchen with Remus.

"They have a method of clearing in the dining room?" I asked, and Remus shrugged in a nonchalant manner.

"I suspect that they all pitch in? Not too sure. Would have to ask Sirius if you're really curious." Remus said as he put his dishes next to the sink.

"Shall I start washing them?" I asked as I started to turn on the faucet.

"Uh." Remus mumbled as he looked from me to the door. As if hoping his answer would come galloping through. Which, in a way, it did, as Sirius came bursting through the door with James.

"You see? Haven't broken a plate." Sirius said, as he balanced a tower of plates in his arms, his eyes following it in every which way it tilted. "We should do this every week!" Sirius said excitedly, as he slowly made his way to the sink.

"Shall I start dishes?" I asked James as he placed the last bit of glasses and such.

"Hm. No, I think my dad is volunteering to do that. I am to give you a tour of the house. Or at least, upstairs." James said, shifting his weight from foot to foot as his hand went into his hair.

"Uh, James? Are you going to show her your room?" Remus asked, his eyes darting between the pair of us. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he stuffed his fists into his pant pockets. He looked nervous while I just felt my cheeks burn.

"Of course he is!" Sirius said, patting Remus on his back, laughing happily.

"Well then, I think Sirius and I left some of our things upstairs. Made a mess really, so, I think we should clean those up. You know, some of our old books from school and such." Remus said in a matter of fact tone. Sirius stopped laughing at once and looked at Remus. "You're right, let's get to it." He said, and the two left the kitchen abruptly.

"What was that about?" I asked, crossing my arms as James shrugged his shoulders.

"I assume they just dumped their things all over my bedroom. And since they're staying the night… I think they thought it would be nicer if I showed you a clean room versus a small replication of what our dorm room looked like." James said, as he followed the footsteps of the boys out of the kitchen.

And as a good tour guide, James showed me the nooks and crannies of his home. From the living room to the toilets and to the office space where his father worked from occasionally. And to the upstairs rooms where there was a sitting room for his mother and a few guest bedrooms.

"And here's my room." James said quietly, as he opened the door a crack and poked his head through. He then opened the door fully and walked in. I followed his lead.

Though, James walked around the room with his arms out. Hitting the air as if hoping to find some magical being that was invisible or something. He even went as far as to yank out his closet door and _step in_ before stepping out.

"The prats must have actually left…" James said in a confusing tone as he flopped on his bed, his face staring up at the ceiling as his hands rested lazily on his stomach.

"I think you would have found them if they were hiding in your room James." I teased.

He had a carpet underneath his bed, some oriental design. A trunk at the foot of his bed, decorated with stickers and such. A small bookshelf with some books, though the titles were blurred from where I stood. A desk filled with feathers and pens. Pieces of papers and odd sorts of things. Even a picture frame of his friends (Sirius and Remus were in it at least).

"I like it." I said, as I walked over and sat next to him on his bed. I looked around me and spotted something interesting looking on his bedside. James was more focused on looking down at his covers. Squinting at the object in question, I leaned over and clasped the small thing in my hand.

It was a small gold ball of some sort. It was extremely light, and there were etchings all around it. It had two small feather wings that flashed as soon as I touched it but hit from view as soon as I examined it closely.

"What is this James?" I asked, turning towards him. His face was an expression of shock as he stared down at the item.

"Have you seen it before?" I asked, as James rummaged a hand through his hair.

"Uh, yeah, it's just that… I made it? For school? And I kept it." James said hurriedly, grabbing the object out of my hand as stared at it.

"You _made_ that?" I asked incredulously, putting a hand on James shoulder as I leaned in closer. His hands still holding the small ball.

"Yes. I made it. I actually called it the 'Snitch'." James said, fiddling with the small ball in his hand.

"Well, it's lovely. I think you did a great job with it." I said, taking the ball from his hand as I stared at it.

"Thanks." James said, fidgeting with the ball a bit before placing it in my hand.

"Here – you should keep it." He said, grinning slightly as I tighten my grip on it.

"You don't want it?"

"Nah, I mean, I'm sure Sirius would be over the moon if I gave it to you. I fidget a lot and that snitch is helpful-"

"You should keep it then-"

"No, you should have it. I like the idea of you having a piece of me. Keep it in your pocket or beside your bed." James said, and he flashed a smile that reached his eyes and those dimples I loved so much shone on his face. I couldn't help but grin back at him as I clutched the snitch in my hand, my fingers slowing the beating of the wings.

"I'll treasure it then." I said, feeling a slight blush flutter over my cheeks.

James head was bent low before he looked back up at me. He quickly leaned over and gave me a quick peck on my cheek and I giggled. It was rather innocent.

Though James blushed furiously.

"Want to take a walk around outside? The grounds are quite nice…" James said, looking over his shoulder and gazing out of the window. He then turned his head and leaned in close to whisper in my ear, "Besides, I think my parents will worry that I'm trying to whisk away your innocence or something if I keep you up here any longer." He said, pulling away and looking down at the sheets as I burst into laughter.

"I thought Mrs. Lupin read the tabloids? She would know that I'm not _that_ innocent." I said, grinning as I stood up and placed the snitch in my pocket as James raised his eyebrows.

"I think that's a part of your life that she _hasn't_ bragged about." James said, offering his arm as I grabbed hold of it.

"Fair enough." I muttered as James led us out of the room, letting the door click silently before leading down the wooden staircase.

* * *

"So, what did you think of Prongs' room? Nice and tidy?" Sirius asked lazily, reclining on his chair as Remus scoffed and James rolled his eyes.

"It was nice." I offered, bobbing my head because, honestly, what was I supposed to say? It was James' room. And though his walls seemed bare of posters and such, the only thing of interest was the snitch in my pocket. I shoved my hand in my pocket and clutched it tightly.

"Well, all thanks to Moony and I. You know, it was a real mess. You clearly didn't peer into the closet to see the absolute horrors within-"

"Play nice now." Remus said quietly, "After all, we shouldn't scare her away from Prongs… he'll do that all by himself." Remus said in a jovial manner and Sirius doubled over in laughter as James shook his head.

"My mates are wildly supportive as you can tell." He said, allowing an arm of his to drape over my shoulders and I couldn't help but smile up at him and shook my head.

"Well, I think they're just fab." I replied, sneaking a kiss on James' cheek.

"I like her. She's _nice_ to us." Remus said in a pointed manner. I turned my head and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Were his other girlfriends not nice or something?"

"I wouldn't say nice… but merely tolerated us. Only spoke to us unless we initiated conversations." Remus said quickly, using hand gestures to explain his point a bit more elaborately.

"Well. I had no choice _but_ to interact with Sirius over here…"

"Ah, there's her mean side." Sirius said, before turning to Remus, "Told you she had a nasty streak." I rolled my eyes as James squeezed my shoulder.

"Unfortunately, I think the Princess has to get back to the castle. Otherwise, Kingsley will _murder_ me." James said, standing up as I followed suit.

And after saying goodbye to the parents, and taking a photo (or eighty) with Mrs. Lupin, James shoved the prying eyes away as he walked me to the car that was waiting outside his door.

"Well, I would ordinarily thank you for inviting me over but that was Sirius-"

"You can just assume that we're the same person." James said quickly, his hand going straight to his hair to ruffle.

"Then, thank you for inviting me over. It was a lovely meal. Even if I don't understand _how_ your mum was able to clean the dishes so quickly." I said, and James shrugged, his hands in his back pockets.

"Magic." He said, and I couldn't help but giggle. And just like that, we were at the car door. But instead of opening the door, James merely frowned.

"Let's get you to the other side." He said quickly, taking hold of my arm as he dragged me around the car. And before I could open my mouth, James jerked me down so that I was crouching down with him, behind a car.

Well. This was a first.

"Sorry." He said, flashing an apologetic look on his face before looking behind him. "It's just that, there was no way for me to do this otherwise or else I would have gotten caught."

"Done-" But the question was abruptly halted as James had reached over and held my face between his hands while his lips collided with mine. I was quick to have my fingers interlock with his hair, feeling my heart just _soar_ as James opened his mouth to deepen the kiss.

That boy, his dimples were no longer the best feature about him.

Though, just as quickly as James started the kiss, he pulled away, his forehead against mine as he took steadying breaths. His eyes fluttering open as his hazel eyes locked with mine.

Oh boy.

"That's what I wanted to do. Figured I could make a fool of myself in front of your driver…" He said, standing up and he reached a hand down to pull me up.

"Fair enough. Though, I think your room would have been a good place as well…" I said, James eyes' twinkling as he opened the door of the car.

"I'll make note of that your highness." He said as I slid into the car, a wicked grin falling on my face.

"Night James."

"Night Lily." He said, shutting the car door gently before shouting out something, and the car started rolling.

I spent the entire car ride fiddling with the snitch.

* * *

 **A/N: Love it? Hate it? Leave a note.**


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